Corruption
by The Seventh Circle
Summary: 2 years in the future Slade is back, and is haunting Raven! He shows up with new powers, eerily similar to hers, and proposes a ghastly plan in store for her that will alter the very fate of the world and her soul. Rated M for adult language/themes. Raven-Slade. The story is now complete! Please review! :)
1. Chapter 1

Corruption

Raven glanced around the lounge at her team, silently waiting for them to quiet down. She had been meditating when Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin broke into an extremely loud fight over a newly-released game: Texans vs. Zombies. Each boy was convinced that he was the best at this simulation and made that known to the rest of his opponents. Of course with pride on the line, arguing ensued and it had not ceased for half an hour. Starfire, on the other hand, peppy and excited as always, was trying to settle the matter by explaining that "each one them was skilled at controlling miniature men with hats and strange accents at killing the previously dead". The boys would then pause for a moment; look at Starfire, with confused yet not surprised looks on their faces. This hiatus would not last, for one of the boys would make another comment concerning fat mothers and vulgarities, thus beginning the screaming at one another again. Raven rolled her eyes, hoping that soon enough they would put aside their differences and agree to disagree, but she knew that would never happen in her lifetime. Not with videogame pride on the line. She sighed, un-curled her fingers, which were in the usual position for meditating, rested her arms at her sides, pushed off the lounge couch, and shuffled, clearly annoyed, to her room. The team had barely noticed her departure. It was late afternoon, and the Sun was just beginning to set over Gotham. The hallways of Titan's Tower remained dark, due to lack of windows, which helped alleviate some of Raven's sensitive migraine. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb, and closed her eyes when the echoing headache became too intense to continue down to her room. She then would stop in her tracks, and lean on a wall, catching a pained breath. Her headaches had become increasingly worse this past year and she was unable to discover the cause of it. It was always something in her life that seemed to cause her pain. Two years ago, her father, Trigon, an inter-dimensional Devil, destroyed her body, causing her to become a portal to the Earth, thus destroying everything. However, her friends had saved her from her grim fate and restored life to Earth and countless other planets that had been conquered by Trigon's armies. So, it was either Armageddon causing Raven pain or the most dreadful headaches. She laughed at her own joke, and continued walking, eager to get to her room, her bed, and meditate in a tranquil setting. Finally, she arrived and entered her macabre room. Dark ornaments of miniature gargoyle statues, pentagram carvings on her wooden tables and runes of shadowy magic decorated her room. Books containing information on witchcraft and specific spells littered the scarlet carpet. Shelves were filled with vials and jars of unique ingredients needed for spells, and, of course, her closet, which had nothing but blue cloaks and black suits. She stifled a yawn and tip-toed around the books, making her way to her bed, which had black and blue ravens as the cover sheet. She smiled at its appropriateness. She hopped on her bed, which squeaked as she crawled over it. She then began to sit cross-legged and clear her mind. As the migraine began to ease, she chanted her words of power to begin the ritual:

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

She repeated these phrases multiple times to achieve a proper meditation. After a few moments, she felt her body begin to lift, and her soul begin to open up to her. Her soul-self, in the form of a giant, black raven, soared out of her body and lifted her above the world, space and time. She remained in her room, yes, but her spirit hovered with her avatar raven. It was one of her favorite things to do in her solitude. She loved to sense the feelings of everyone in the world, to relate to them soul-to-soul. A couple of times, she had found rather attractive men, and entered their heads, wishing to get to know a stranger. _Better than speed dating, _she thought. She liked to think of the millions of emotions of different people as a black pool of feelings and sensations. Only extremely loud feelings ever rippled the pool and she would swim to them and wonder what was occupying their thoughts. When she was lucky, sometimes she would find a criminal or a villain the team was tracking, trace them down, and capture them. But only novice criminals ever made suck mistakes, the people of Gotham knew of her power and if they wanted to rob a store or murder someone, they knew better than to let their emotions get the best of them, hard as it was to contain such feelings of anxiety and rage. She was so free in this world, separated from the existence of being a hero, having to have responsibilities and duties constantly occupying her mind. Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to stay in this pool of nothingness and abandon her heroism. But, she loved her team too much, and she knew it would never last. _Nothing good ever does, _she thought, her father had taught her that. A wave of emotion in the pool interrupted her sad thoughts. She was surprised; no one ever felt such feelings. A ripple was normal, but a wave? She'd only encountered it once. She dived into the pool, hoping the knot forming in her stomach wasn't correct. She reached the emotional host, and sighed. Unfortunately, knots are always what she feared most. _Slade_. It had been two years since she'd seen him. He had helped the Titans defeat her father (but then he also helped capture Raven, and bring Trigon into the Earth, permanently scarring her for life…), but then disappeared. He had gotten away, and never made a sound after that. Why now? She went deeper, into his thoughts. They were as usual: Rage, vengeance, lust, and incomprehensible sadness. It was different this time, however, the emotions felt shallow. She tried to inject herself deeper into his subconscious, but he would have none of it. He felt her, swimming in his thoughts, trying to read his mind. He smiled, prepared. He blocked her out, then, and she froze.

"Hello, love," he said, causing Raven to get chills up and down her spine. She remained silent, unwilling to fan the flames of his twisted psyche. He chuckled.

"Tsk-tsk Raven you should know better than to enter someone's thoughts unannounced," he jeered. "It ruins all surprises in store."

She felt him smile cruelly again. She found it strange to know he was smiling; he always hid behind the expressionless metal mask of his. She had enough. She was pulling out, she had to tell the team he was back, and she didn't want to be inside his head any longer. However, when she tried to pull out, he stopped her, hooking her back in and refusing to let go. Raven gasped.

"Impossible! How are you doing this!?"

Another chuckled pierced her thoughts.

"I've picked up some new tricks while I was away," Slade stated simply. "But you will learn of them soon enough, dear girl. Now, don't you have some Titans to panic?"

He released her then. And she flew back into her body, shakily. She still heard his maniacal laughter resonating through her skull, haunting her mind.

Chapter 2

Raven dropped back onto her bead, gasping for breath. _Slade's back, and he's coming for us, _she thought, _he has new powers, new strengths._ Her hands began to shake. She was slowly processing this event and found it difficult to comprehend. _How did he control me? How did he pull me back?_ The idea that Slade possessed a sliver of Raven's power greatly frightened her, especially with the expertise at which he used it with. _Where did he gain such power? Slade is human, therefore incapable of casting, much less controlling, magic to the extent that he did. When he was undead, the rules were broken, and my father gifted him with such power, but took it away. This isn't possible! _Raven ran a still-shaking hand through her rich, violet hair, taking a deep breath and trying to relax. She hopped off the bed and looked in the mirror above her wooden table. She studied her pale face, much more white than usual, and the increased length of her hair. She had grown these past years. She was taller, stronger, and looked much older. She could hardly believe her age, 18. She felt so old, and another birthday was just around the corner. Her body was maturing, no longer was she painfully thin, she had curves and muscles had finally become visible in her arms and legs. Her face, once childish, was a shadow of its former self. It was longer, leaner, and her cheekbones were noticeable and had risen in her face. Her eyes, so large and round remained similar, but seemed to have a mature look to them. Her hair, which at the moment was slightly tangled and hanging wildly about her shoulders, was at least, 3 inches longer, and darker, almost black but shining with violet tints. She looked 21 but felt like a child still. She placed her slender hands on the table and broke eye contact with the mirror. She had to tell them, they couldn't be left in the dark. She sighed, it would be difficult to break the news to Robin, he was so haunted by Slade for so many years, and even today she hears him muttering in his sleep. After a few deep breathing sessions and self-help mumblings, she pulled down her hood, covering her pale face, as to not completely freak her friends out, and strode out the door. She would make this right, they would catch Slade and all of this will be a faint memory in a few weeks. How terribly wrong she was.

Chapter 3:

Raven entered the lounge again, finding it more and more difficult to keep herself from going into a panic attack. The others had moved on to other routines of the day. Starfire was combing her long, scarlet red hair and trimming her nails, Robin was reading his favorite weapons magazine _Nun-Chuck_ and intently reading its articles, and Cyborg was tinkering on his arm, while Beast Boy handed him tools, each time morphing into a different animal. Raven quickly walked to Robin and tapped him on the shoulder. His head snapped up immediately, his face going from puzzled to worried at the sight of her eyes.

"Raven?" he asked, concerned. "What's the matter?"

She cleared her throat and shifted her eyes away from Robin's piercing gaze.

"Something's happened," she said. "We need to get the team together. I have something to tell all of you."

Robin was still worried, his mask scrunching up with his ever-furrowing brow. Yet, as he saw her intensifying troubled expression, he backed off and agreed. He called the others over, who became just as puzzled as him. They all shuffled over to the pit in the middle of the room, and sat on the couch there. Raven, followed them as well, but remained standing in front of them, trying to muster the courage to tell all of them.

"Go ahead, Ray," Robin encouraged.

She cleared her throat again and transferred her weight between both her feet, rocking nervously. She sighed finally, relinquishing her fear for a moment.

"Slade's back," she stated and quickly kept talking to staunch the flow of outcries coming her way. "I was meditating and I found him. He felt me in his head and knows that I know he's back. He's gained some sort of new power. I don't know how but he somehow pulled me back into his head, and that would only be possible if he somehow gained a part of my power."

She looked up and studied their faces. It was as she expected. Cy was skeptical, Starfire was scared, BB's jaw was laying on the floor he was so shocked, and Robin…he seemed calm on the surface but Raven sensed his overflowing rage and hatred radiating from his body. It was silent at first, but shouts soon filled the room. All of them aimed at her, questions firing every second. Robin motioned for silence, and the team immediately obeyed. Robin was the first to speak.

"Ray, are you sure he's back?"

Raven's tempered flared slightly.

"Of course I'm sure! I went _inside _his head. His emotions followed suit, I saw his memories and his voice was just the same. Robin, he's back, trust me."

Robin nodded gravely, as did the others. BB spoke next.

"Do you know where he is?"

Raven sighed.

"No, I pulled out of there the minute he gave me a chance. Plus, he blocked me out after a couple seconds."

She sensed Robin's anger was rising. He would try to blame this on her at some point: For not tracking him, for showing weakness to him, for not fighting harder. However, an anxiety began to pulse inside the room, a question that was on the tip of everyone's tongue, but they were unsure whether to ask it. Raven raised a violet eyebrow. She stared at the team, trying to get one of them to ask it, when no one did she resorted to forcing it out of them.

"What?"

They all connected eyes with each other, picking straws for who would be the one to ask it. Apparently, Starfire lost.

"Well…you see…Raven…" she stammered. "We were wondering…"

"Spit it out, Star!" Raven snapped.

Taken aback Star's eyes began to shine with unshed tears. Raven softened her tone.

"Sorry, Star, but this is really stressing me out," Raven pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry I took it out on you. Continue."

Immediately Star's mood brightened and she smiled a sympathetic grin to Raven. Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Star tried again.

"What did he say to you?" she squeaked.

Raven expected this, but hoped no one would ask it. She knew it might be important in trying to decipher a location or a plan, but any contact with Slade became a repressed memory in her mind, and it was painful bringing it up. She ran through the conversation in her mind. It was strange; it felt like he was warning her. He paid such particular attention to her. _Why am I so important? _She asked herself.

"Well, he said…" Raven started but before she was able to finish, a searing pain pierced her. She doubled over and fell to the ground. Her friends rushed over but stopped just a few feet from her, their bodies frozen. She had seen this before. Time had stopped, and only she was left to carry on. She was confused. _I know I didn't cause this. Who did?_ Laughter erupted in her mind. _Slade_.

"Let's not give them _too_ much information now," Slade said in her mind. "Where would be the fun?"

Raven's blood boiled over, and she very much wanted to let her demon blood overtake her and rip Slade limb from limb. _Why do I always have to be the good guy?_

"Get out of my head!" Raven snarled. She felt his emotions seep into her; he was entering her thoughts, overtaking her body with his cold, dark presence.

"Why, love?" He asked sincerely. "Your mind is just longing for me to enter, control, subdue. I've been here for quite some time now; I have filled every dark corner of your mind. Can you deny it? In your restless nightmares, can you deny that you see my face? Hear my voice? Feel my touch? Face it, my dear, you and I are intertwined together, a slipknot of destiny."

_His narcissism is really getting out of control_, she sneered. But she could not deny his statements, well except the last one, that was just bullshit. She was haunted by him, but not just him, her father, which gave way to the crippling memories of Slade. Sometimes she still thought about his manipulation of Terra, and how through her, he had tried to drown Raven in mud. Goosebumps quickly spread when she thought of the inanimate arms reaching at her to pull her down into the thick, tainted water. She shook her head. _Don't let him get to you_, she reminded herself, but how easy it was to remember. Those nights during Trigon's rise to power, when Slade tracked her down and tormented her, threw her off a building, captured her, haunted her thoughts, her soul. She still felt those feelings of fear, and realized how much she despised Slade, but also how much he truly frightened her.

"Whatever it is you want Slade, it will never happen. You've failed at every attempt thus far in your conquest to power. We're going to bring you down, just like always."

Raven remained vigilant in trying not to show him a splinter of weakness, but she could not hide the feelings beneath the surface from him: fear, dread, misery.

"Dear child, I've already won. There is nowhere to run or hide. There is nothing for you to hold on to. I have you corner and crushed. The object of my desire is already in my possession."

Raven scoffed.

"You're bluffing. Why go to all this trouble when you could have killed us all by now?"

This question was met with amused chuckles. He was laughing at her; she sensed his pride and arrogance swell in him.

"I believe you missed my point, love," he hooted. "Poor girl, you are so blind. This isn't about killing your friends-though their day will come soon enough-this is about you. You are the missing piece. The object I desire most, that is currently in my possession."

Now it was Raven's turn to laugh in his face. How stupid did he think she was? To think she would help him? _Good freakin' luck, _she thought.

"You're insane! Calling _me _blind!? Hardly," she said. _Man that felt good! _She thought, smiling to herself. What felt better was to sense his increasing rage seethe through him. Her smile widened.

"Stupid girl, I have a secret for you," he said. "With my new found powers, I could destroy you, your team, and everyone on this planet. But, that is no secret, of course, I'm sure that crossed you mind at some point."

He was smiling under his mask, goading her. She remained quiet, unable to hide her curiosity to what his so-called "secret" was.

"You and I, dear child, are soul-linked."

Raven felt her head spin, her vision fade, and she knew she was going to faint, and fast. Just as gravity abandoned her, her body was brought upright, by an unseen host.

"You are not getting away that easy, love," Slade hissed. "You deserve to hear the story."

She was being held up, her body was limp but she remained standing, she could barely make out his words, but somehow they lodged themselves in her brain.

"Raven do you remember what happened two years ago? Do you remember that night on top of the skyscraper? Do you remember your hair, your clothes, your skin? You looked ravishing in the pooling moonlight. The power inscribed on your body, the abnormality of it all fascinated me. The touch is what made it so delectable. I held your life in mine, felt your heart beat in unison with mine, and I _knew _you had to be mine. When your father resurrected me, he infused me with his power and partially with yours, and then when I took my flesh and blood back, it amplified the effects tenfold. However, I needed something more. Yes, with my new powers I could easily take over this planet or just kill you all. But there's nothing to that, without a bloodline of my own. I thought I would never get the chance until just a few hours ago, when you stumbled into my head. Unknown to you, however, is that you were falling into a trap. Unaware that as you struggled to wiggle free of my grasp, I had already sank my teeth into you, linking your soul and mine."

She felt another wave of nausea surge through her. Slade and her!? Slade!? Her!? Was he tormenting her? Is this just a nightmare? Is she asleep right now, safely tucked in her covers? After repeatedly telling herself to wake the up, she realized he was telling the truth. It felt like twenty trucks had consecutively hit her. Her spirit sank low, so low. Down, down, down it went, leaving her body an empty shell. A thought hit her suddenly, and she didn't have any reason not to ask it.

"It was you giving me those migraines, wasn't it? Trying to get me to meditate more often? Trying to increase your odds of me stumbling upon your emotions?" she muttered, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," he retorted. "I'm also responsible for Robin's nightmares. Hoping that maybe you would soothe his mind and find me there, waiting for you. I must say, Raven, you remained surprisingly cold to him."

Guilt washed over her. Poor Robin, he didn't deserve to get dragged into this as well. Anger rose in her stomach and her demonic blood sizzled. Suddenly, she grabbed her mind and yanked it out of Slade's presence. Well, at least she tried to. Chastising clucks came into her mind.

"Not so fast, dear girl," Slade cooed. "There's more."

She had had enough. She couldn't take it.

"No! Let me go, Slade! Please!" she begged. "Stop this!"

Her mind was working itself into a frenzy and she thrashed against his control. She was a trapped animal fighting against the cage. Pain hit her, then, and hit her hard. It radiated through her body, and her mind relinquished its futile attempts to escape. The force that held her up, let go and she crashed into the floor, curling into a ball on the ground. Sweat dripped off her face and onto the carpet.

"Isn't that better?" Slade coaxed.

His voice became velvet, and she wanted nothing more than to give in. To let him in and never let go. Oh, how he tainted her. _Wait, no, don't Slade, please._ She thought a last attempt to appeal to any mercy he had. Of course, he continued.

"Yes, Raven, you already know," he stated. "_You_, love, are to be the one to continue my bloodline. Congratulations."

Slade could not hold on to her any longer as her mind slipped through his fingers. Blackness took her in its reassuring wings, cradling her. Yet, she still heard him, chuckling softly at her weakness in her blackout.  
"Oh please let it be a dream," she whispered, her last waking plead.

But she already knew. It wasn't.


	2. Chapter 2

Raven awoke, dazed and confused. She found herself on a couch, stretching her hands; she felt the soft features and

stitching as she traced her fingers upon the leathery surface. Her eyes, however, could not see as clearly as her sense of

touch. Blobs of color swirled around her, making strange noises of concern. She assumed them to be faces. Her

memories had not shot back into her psyche yet, and she found herself wondering: _Where I am?_ She shut her eyes,

attempting to remember. Something pungent made itself known to her: Tofu, sweat, and a zoo. Beast Boy. The rush of

failed amnesia rushed into her mind, then, followed by overwhelming fear and dread. She had fainted. Slade. Power.

Bloodline. Single words reminded her of her upcoming fate. Her eyes fluttered open and the blurs became solid lines and

features. As she thought, her friends' faces surrounded her. She feigned a weak smile.

"Hey guys," she whispered out, her throat still unable to open completely.

Relief filled the air.

"Give her some space," Robin gently instructed. "Raven, are you ok? You just seized up and passed out."

Raven nodded. How could she tell them? How could she tell Robin? After his nightmares had finally just begun to abide,

how could she fill him with new worries, new fears? Her throat choked up even more so, and her lip began to tremble.

Even if she was able to reveal Slade's plan, would he just torture her even more? Invade her thoughts again? She

shuddered at another thought of a blackout. Her mind was torn. Rationality told her to tell her team, fear told her to

keep quiet. She had not realized that she hadn't answered Robin's question and was blankly staring at her hands. She

shifted her eyes up to find them all staring intently at her.

"Raven?" Robin asked gingerly.

Raven blushed, her cheeks burning red.

"Sorry, I… I was just…" she stuttered. She bit her lip.

Robin immediately assumed the role of over-protective father.

"It's fine, Ray," he patted her on the shoulder. "You just rest now. We'll take on all alerts tonight."

Raven almost let out an exasperated sigh, but at the look from Robin, she held her breath and nodded. As if on cue, the

room began to shake from the noise of the alarm. The lounge became entirely red and Raven's eyes always scrunched

up at the brightness of it. Starfire glided to the control panel. After a few moments of frantically typing, Star found the

source of the distress .

"Robbery on 25th and Maine," she reported. "12 hostages, 3 armed men."

Robin nodded.

"Move out, titans," he ordered.

Cyborg and Beast Boy glanced at each other, grins stretching on their faces. Cy cracked his knuckles and BB jumped about, all too excited.

"Let's go fuck some baddies up!" Cy shouted.

BB gave a supportive "Woo!" and both of them sprinted out the door, followed calmly by Robin and Star, walking side by

side. Raven raised an eyebrow, _and they think no one knows about their secret relationship. _Raven scoffed. Raven, BB,

and Cyborg were making bets about when they were going to tell the team about their nights alone together. Cy was

right next door to them, and constantly complained to Raven and BB that it sounded like screaming monkeys were

eating Robin and Star's faces off, rather than what was really making such sounds. She rested her head on a pillow and

closed her eyes. It had been a long day and she wanted to avoid and suppress the memory of Slade for as long as

possible, and sleep seemed to be the only way to do it, now that meditating had become Slade's playground. However,

she could not calm her restless mind. Planning an escape, she was going through places in which she could hide away

from Slade; the tower seemed just a little too conspicuous. She was thinking about Trigon when an idea injected its way

into her brain. She could follow in her mother's footsteps. Escape to Azarath; be protected by the monks there. Although

they had strict rules on who was allowed to enter and exit at will, she _did_ save their planet, well, at least, her team did.

They might be willing to make an exception for her. The more she mulled it over, the better it sounded. Slade would

never be allowed to enter into her home planet's dimension; the monks would fight to the death to keep him out. She

smiled, giddy with reassurance and hope. She flew off the couch and ran to her room, not wanting to waste a second.

Each thought having a chance of being intercepted by Slade. Entering her room, she sat down at her desk and wrote a

short note to notify the team where she would be.

_Going to Azarath to see mother, be back in a few months. Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Stay safe. Find Slade. Love, Raven._

She folded the small piece of paper, wrote _Teen Titans_ on the front, and taped it on the front of her door. Then, she

rushed back inside her room and sifted through the piles of books, trying to find the one that contained the teleportation

spell to Azarath. After knocking at least 50 books over, most of which fell on her foot, she finally found the evasive thing

under her bed. She reached under, and pulled the dusty archive out. She then flipped through the old book and finally

found the page she was looking for, it was marked with a bright purple pentagram, and the incantations of her people's

language. Immediately sitting down in a crossed-legged position she placed her hand on the page and began to murmur

the strange phrasings. When her body glowed purple, and her eyes shined white, she began to say her own chanting of

power, thus completing the spell.

"Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos!"

Her body flew out of the room on the wings of her soul-self raven, leaving Gotham behind. She crossed different

dimensions, and felt the still space air against her skin. Her raven cooed to her and filled her with feelings of love and

trust. She was nearing Azarath; she recognized the asteroid belt she was flying past. It had been a while since she had

seen her mother, Arella. She had left, sick of the monks' rules and regulations, at age 15. Then, she had been a child,

dreaming of life beyond the temple, now she returned, a veteran of the universe, ready to accept her heritage and thank

her mother and the Azarathians for the love they showered on her, even if she didn't know it before. A black hole

appeared before her, marked by the signature purple pentagram, she was so close. Butterflies rose in her stomach and

she began having second thoughts. However, she would not have another chance to go back on her return home, for

right as she was about to enter the vortex, her raven screeched in pain. Raven looked frantically around. Her soul-self

was being strangled. Its neck was encased in what looked to be…snake coils. Raven's eyes began to glow black and she

shot the black mass attached to her raven's neck. Nothing happened. It continued to strangulate it, refusing to let go.

She had not even made a dent. She tried again and again, nothing. Sweat and tears ran down her face.

"Let go!" she yelled.

Her soul-self could not hold on and dissolved and returned to Raven's body. She began to fall, unable to stay afloat in

the massive ocean that was space and time. She was dropping like a rock, and nothing was supporting her. She

screamed and tried to summon her raven again, but it would not respond, too wounded to help. She saw Earth, and she

couldn't stop falling. If she didn't stop soon, she would die burning up in Earth's atmosphere, and become nothing but a

pile of ash. She closed her eyes, trying to comfort herself for her upcoming demise. Right when she was close enough to

see the white swirls of clouds that decorated Earth's surface, a force caught her abruptly. She twisted around, searching

for the thing that had saved her. A hiss sounded in her ear. Her eyes widened, goosebumps erupted on her skin. She

followed the sound and gasped. An enormous cobra met her gaze steadily, its head swaying back and forth. It was

decorated with stripes of black and copper, and a silver "S" marked its forehead. _No! _She screamed in her head. _Not _

_here! How did he find me!?_ Unable to contain himself, Slade's laughter erupted in Raven's mind. Before she could cuss

Slade out and threaten to tear his head off with her bare hands, the cobra slithered quickly, with Raven locked in its

coils, toward the Earth moving at break-neck speed. Before she knew it, they were already above Gotham. _He was here _

_the whole time. _Frustrated more than ever, Raven's genes took the best of her and she sensed her demon blood growing

more and more powerful. Fangs grew in her mouth, two red eyes developed under her blue ones, and red writings

inscribed themselves into her skin. Her hands glowing, she shocked the Cobra with her demonic power, nothing

happened still. She roared murderously and resulted to scratching and biting her living restraints, all of which passed

through the shadowy skin. It had barely noticed her frenzied attacks. Exhausted, she decided to save up her powers for

the fight that she would be giving Slade when they met. The cobra was nearing the ground quickly. The area looked

deserted. No buildings, no roads, no homes, and the terrain looked like a mix between a desert and a canyon. She

racked her brain for places in Gotham that had such exotic features and could think of none. Unless the Grand Canyon

had moved thousands of miles and just decided Gotham was the place to be, she didn't know where the hell this cobra

was taking her. She caught her last glimpse of the strange scenery and was dragged through the ground. She noticed

her body become black and the snake making portals through solid rock, just like her. The snake jerked her around,

making abrupt turns too quickly for her to register. _Was this his plan for me? Get a giant snake to capture me and then _

_cause me to vomit on my clothes? Think of the embarrassment!_ Finally after what seemed to be an eternity on a living

rollercoaster, they stopped. She opened her eyes, which remained shut during the ride for fear of passing out again, and

realized the snake was gone, but there were no exits or entrances of any kind. Only a tunnel to her left gave her any

hope of escape, but when she heard footsteps coming from that direction, her heart sank. She looked around. She was

in a damp, dank cave. Only a few dimly lit candles gave any light; she could barely make out the lair, but she recognized

the shapes and the smell of the place. Sniffing the air, she detected a hint of tar and the overwhelming odor of a factory.

She looked up and was not surprised to see the original format of Slade's hideout. Giant cogs grinding together,

connected to platforms and columns of steel. The footsteps sounded closer, closing in on her. She squinted in the nearly-

pitch black that engulfed her and saw nothing still. Then, a figure emerged from the shadows for an instant and seeped

back into them.

"Who's there!?" she yelled, rather annoyed at having to play this game of hide and seek. She heard an exasperated sigh.

"Who else would it be, dear girl?" Slade answered.

He came in full sight of her then, only a couple feet from her. She glared murderously at his expressionless metal mask.

As always, one half of his mask was copper colored, which contained his one eye, and the other half was black. His outfit

resembled that of an assassin of steel, having metal guards placed in areas of vulnerability that his black, suit did not

cover well. He held his hands behind his back, and studied Raven's flustered appearance carefully, his one eye shifting

up and down her body. Much of her clothing had been ripped, a side effect of being hurled around by a giant, scaly

cobra. Her cloak and hood remained mostly intact but her black suit revealed much of her stomach and back. He also

noticed her cut up knee and thigh with some interest. He smirked under his mask. He had never seen her bleed so

much. Annoyed by his silent observation of her she pulled her cloak and hood over her body, covering her cuts and face.

His smile instantly disappeared and he returned to the task at hand.

"Hello, love. Enjoy your trip?" he said, his voice turning from frost to velvet.

Raven shuddered at such a voice. It always gave her chills. She swallowed her fear and met his gaze head on.

"It's not happening. What you want is disgusting. I would never betray my friends like that, even if I was forced to," she snapped. "I'd rather die than help you in _any _way."

He brought one of his hands to his chin, contemplating whether he should grant her death wish or do what he planned all along. As much as he wanted to kill her, then, he knew it would not benefit him; so therefore, he suppressed his sadistic emotions, for now.

"My dear girl, you think you'd be betraying your friends? They've already betrayed you, casted you out, like the freak that you are. Why not just fall into the expectations of you they already had? You've always been strange. Your father, the devil, your mother, the bitch that worshipped in a cult, and practically gave her soul to the destruction of the universe, how could anyone accept their bastard daughter? No they won't admit it. They won't tell it to your face, but deep down inside, they fear and despise you, just like everyone else when they don't understand anything outside their understandings of life. Face it. You're alone in this world."

Doubt, the killer of everything good, crept into Raven's mind. His accusations made sense, as much as they hurt her

inside, he was right, she was a freak. Her team never called her one, but she could see it in their eyes whenever she

meditated or mumbled strange, demonic phrases. But then, she knew Slade's tricks and persuasiveness. It was what

caused Terra to fall, and Robin to mistrust his team. Nonetheless, Second Guessing sat there, patiently waiting for her,

its jaws open wide, ready to pounce on her self-confidence, which is something she never had to begin with.

"But, Raven, it doesn't have to be this way," Slade purred. "You and I can face this miserable world together, and spit in the faces of those who do not understand idiosyncrasies. Join me, be where you were always meant to be, at my side, fighting the world."

Her mind turned foggy, common sense left her, and she found herself nodding, taking steps to Slade. A voice entered

her head, her own voice, whispering dark words of corruption. _It all makes sense now, no more confusion or insecurity; _

_he'll take care of me. _ _But wait, isn't he evil? No, no, he's our savior. But Robin, Terra… Poor examples! Failures! We can _

_be the chosen ones, the apprentice that brings him pride. _She was nearing his gloved, outstretched hand. _I don't know if _

_I want this. Do I want this?_ She pulled back, wary._ Yes, it's what we always wanted. I'm not sure… _ The voice became

angry, impatient. _Why do you resist? Go to him, now! _Her mind regained clarity. The voice became a face, his face. She

continued to go near him, with a new plan in mind. Her raven cawed in her soul, and she knew she had to fight him, now

or never. Right as she was about to place her hand in his, her eyes became black.

"Stay out of my head!" she yelled, releasing her raven, the soul-self unleashed waves of her unbridled power upon him,

screeching with fury. She too, covered his body in her shadowy power and lifted him up and threw him down repeatedly

on the cement floor. She wasted no time, spared nothing. But on each strike of power, she felt her own body shake with

pain. She stopped and called her raven back. No she was in more than just pain, her body was on fire. She crumpled to

the ground, and spotted oozing blood on the ground, hers. She looked over, Slade was lying face down on the ground

but there was no blood pool, no scratch on his person, nothing. She looked back to herself, she was even more shreds of

clothing than before. She racked her brain. _He never touched me._

"I didn't need to, love," Slade said. "But please, for the sake of your life, stop attacking me."

She snapped her head over, to find him standing, his arms crossed, his eyes filled with arrogance.

"The soul-link provides the one that made it in the first place, that's me, with a shield. This shield, in times of battle,

moves all pain suffered on the master to the soul-link slave, that's you. So any time _you_ or anyone attacks me, only you

feel the pain, and suffer the consequences. However, it is also true that if you die, I go with you. Oh, don't even think

about _trying_ to kill yourself. I control every muscle in your body, and anytime you or some else puts you in harm's way,

I'd simply slip in you and force you to protect yourself."

He had removed all the exits to any chance of escape for her. Her body was broken it felt, and her soul was cracked as well. He strode gracefully to her and kneeled beside her. He placed his hand on her stomach.

"Wait," Raven coughed. "What are you doing?"

He paid her no mind, and started mumbling to himself. His hands and eye turned a grotesque orange and Raven felt her wounds begin to stitch themselves up. However, he didn't completely cure her, for she still had a few tender places with minor cuts. He returned to normal and she felt him smile under his mask.

"Can't let you get _too_ healthy," he said, chuckling.

She felt weak and increasingly heavy. It was at this point of vulnerable physicality that Slade lifted her into his arms and

began carrying her in the direction of the tunnel. More candles lit the tunnel, but still they shifted in and out of the

shadows. Never in the light for more than couple seconds. Her vision was clouded and her mind even more so, but she

knew it was coming. The moment Slade had been waiting for. He wasted no time with her, a lesson learned from Terra

and Robin. No more waiting months to hatch a plan or slowly corrupt a titan, he had new power, and he wasn't going to

let it go to waste. She called out to him, into his mind: _Slade, no, please. I won't fight back any longer. Just give it time. _

She was scrambling for a desperate attempt at holding off a monsoon, but to no avail, she sensed his mind was made

up. He lowered his head to her ear.

"Don't worry, love," he whispered. "I'll do all the work."

She tried to muster up a quick jolt of power in her body, but the attempt was met with a shock of pain. He laughed.

"Won't fight back, eh?"

He sighed.

"Suppose I'll have to do this the hard way," he murmured. "Pity, and I so hoped that you'd at least make it to the bed before I had to do it."

The last statement greatly frightened her. It was obviously as she feared, but a small part of her hoped he was just

going to lock her in a cell. She heard him mumbling again, but she couldn't make out the words. _A spell? _She wondered.

Becoming entranced by what he was silently chanting, she hadn't realized the shadowy chains that had formed around

her neck, wrist, and ankles. When the chains turned to solid silver, she snapped her head down, confused by the sudden

weight and shook her head, scoffing. _Chains? How pathetic. _Immediately she tried to summon her magic to burn the

pesky suckers off, but as the magic flew through her body, it stopped, blocked. She tried again, and came to the same

conclusion. Whipping her head back up at Slade, waiting for an explanation, the chains disappeared into her body, but

she could still feel their presence on her skin, yet somehow under it as well. _Another trick_, she thought. _And to think w__e _

_thought he was hard to defeat before._ She feared for the future of the world, a world she was destined to destroy with

Slade. He had reached the end of the tunnel, pulling Raven out of her thoughts; they had arrived at a chamber. She

assumed it to be his. A nicely furnished room, with a large, round table, a screen lodged into the wall, and chairs of all

sorts. This did not surprise her, what caught her eye was the decoration. Newspapers clippings, maps, and architectural

designs covered the walls, while the table contained all sorts of gadgets and weapons on its' surface, such as knives,

grenades, guns, blasters, and even, what seemed to be, miniature nuclear bombs. She raised her eyebrows, slightly

impressed with his determination to be completely deranged. _What man hid beneath that mask?_ She wondered.

However, a more frightening thought made itself known. A door, a door made of steel was seen on the left side of the

room. A door, Slade was rapidly approaching. She squirmed in his iron clutches, and he responded with holding her

tighter. Turning the knob, he pushed it open. It was as she expected, as she feared, as she dreaded. A bed. A massive

one. It covered half of the small room, and was incredibly intimidating to her. He walked over, nonchalantly and gently

placed her on its soft bed sheets. The room smelt of overpowering incense, and she found the source in a bundle of

candles melting in the corner. She was still looking at the candles when Slade flicked a knife out. Her eyes widened, and

she held onto a tuff of bed cover much too tightly, her knuckles turning white. He noticed her expression and scoffed,

clearly unimpressed.

"Stupid girl, this isn't for your flesh," he spat.

Raven relaxed only for a second, but seized up just as fast when he deftly cut through her shredded clothes with ease,

leaving her exposed, only clothed with a bra and underclothing. He then flicked the knife across the room, and began to

undress himself. Raven looked away, not wanted to see the disgusting creature beneath the monstrous mask. He

shrugged her off, not deterring from his task. She heard his clothes peel off, like shedding skin, onto the carpeted floor.

She then heard the tapping of his fingernails on steel, tinkering with his mask. No one had ever seen his face. Curiosity

getting the best of her easily, she slowly tuned her head around and eyed him. _Of course_, she thought sarcastically.

They had never known his age, but Raven had always assumed him to be old. How wrong she was. He was maybe late

twenties, early thirties at most. His face was beautiful, almost too perfect, and she wondered if it was a side effect of his

resurrection. His face was pale, his almond eye was a dark green, and his features were flawless (except for the eyeless

half that was only marked by a faint scar), cheekbones resting high on his face, a strong jaw, and perfect skin that

seemed to radiate in the dim room. His ruffled, black hair, with tints of copper highlighting it, hung wildly upon his head.

He smiled at her bewildered expression, revealing perfect white teeth. She longed to touch his skin, and feel its smooth

features. Physical attraction told her to accept and love this man, rationality and past experiences told her to fight to the

very end. He strode confidently to her side, his eye studying her, as if really seeing her for the first time. Of course, he'd

always had known she was going to be beautiful, but now, as she matured into a woman, she had morphed into a lovely

being. She had darker hair now, more auburn than bright purple, her eyes remained large and deeply blue, now he saw

that they shimmered and glowed with fear, her skin was always a lovely shade of white, and her body, once so painfully

thin and weak, was beginning to mold into an older shell. Raven squirmed more uncomfortably under his scrutinizing

gaze and shuddered. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, love, you'll be warm soon," he coaxed.

She saw and sensed the lust began to overtake him. As if acting on command, he held her down with his arms, unable to go another second without touching her. At a last effort, Raven squeaked out her thoughts to him, begging him to reconsider, to somehow get him to spare her pain: _Slade, please, don't do this._ He smiled at her pleading. Lowering his head to her ear, he whispered:

"I'm going to empty you, and fill you in with me."

Before she could try to beseech him again, he jumped fully on the bed, his hair falling down about his face, his eye

burning with anticipation. She opened her mouth, trying to stall, but he would have none of it. His lips crushed against

hers, and she lost all thought. She kissed back instinctively, her basic impulses washing over her. Surprised by her

reaction, Slade stopped and began to laugh and laugh; he then tore her bra and underclothing off and threw them

savagely across the room. Lost in the ecstasy of the moment, she barely noticed. They sank deeper into the plush bed

together, intertwined and silent. She felt the soft sheets of the bed against her bare skin and breathed rapidly in unison

with Slade. He had moved from kissing her mouth, to her stomach, letting his true emotions out. She sensed how

desperately he wanted this plan to work, how desperately he wanted someone of his own blood. Pity ran through her,

but was soon replaced by his untamed lust. A lust she could not fight, not with his strength and power weighing down on

her. She found herself becoming lost to him, following his actions. When he poured licks and kisses on her neck, she

would dig her nails into his back, making him moan with sweet pleasure, when he rolled and turned she would attach

herself to him and even enjoy the swirling of the moment, and when he caressed her body and whispered her name in

her ear, erotically, she would breathe out his name in return. However, when Slade knew she was open to him and

ready, he began to fill her. The pain shocked Raven at first, she thought he had stabbed her with a blade, but then as it

continued she began to feel its warmth radiate through her body, and sighed with bliss. Slade sat up, taking a brief

hiatus from this exceptional night. His eye never left her body, always studying and observing her reactions. Astonished

that she was so easily swayed by his touch, he began to feel immense power and control emulate from his very core.

She had loved him. Although, later she would never admit such a thing, she could not deny that he had taken over her

soul and body, at least, temporarily. Her eyes remained closed, abnormally happy. _Perhaps she is thinking of someone _

_else?_ He thought. However, when her eyes fluttered open, and she gazed into his face, for a moment, maybe just a

second, he could see she was content to see him there before he saw her sadness seep into her eyes. He smiled. _How _

_easy she fell to me, _he thought. He then lowered to her again, feeling her hair, her flesh, her breasts against him, and

continued to lavish lust upon her. Yet, the event came to a close, and Raven was so incredibly happy it was over, yet

also partially sad. She could not refute the joy she felt when his body brushed and swayed with her own, how his hair

felt in her fingers, or his lips swept against her own, feeling the gentle, yet overpowering nature of them gave her such

solace in her life. Nonetheless, the night ended and Slade detached from her side, running his fingers through her soft,

tangled hair.

"Rest now, love," Slade cooed.

She immediately obeyed and fell into a deep slumber. Not allowing the shame and guilt to enter her last waking

moments of bliss. Slade grinned at her willingness to follow his instructions. It would not last he knew, but then, her

rebellion, that he was sure was to come, would be snuffed out, she would completely fall to him, and he would rule the

world with her at his side, insurmountable. Slade softly leapt off the bed, went to the candles, the last flicker of light in

the room, and blew them out.


	3. Chapter 3

Corruption Part 3

Chapter 1:

The sound of grinding cogs greeted Raven as her eyes opened. She wished she didn't wake up that morning. She did not

deserve the pleasure of the sunlight, nor the warmth that it provided. But, then again, there was no sunlight here, in this

damp cavern, this disgusting hole in the ground where she lost her innocence, her goodness of heart, her soul. She was

lying on her stomach, her head burrowed deep in a soft pillow. She glanced at her surroundings, even in the daytime,

they looked the same. Still a dimly lit setting, a bundle of, now extinguished, candles huddled in a corner of the room,

and the rich bed still remained a behemoth. She pushed herself up by the elbows, digging into the comforters, and

attempted to find some scraps of clothing to cover herself in, she did not need the reminder of what occurred the night

before. A hand, firm against her back, pushed her gently down. Rolling her head to the side, she saw him. Apparently

she had not noticed that he was patiently sitting there the entire time, blankly gazing at the walls. Frustrated, she

smashed her head, face forward, back into the pillow. _Must you always be near me?_ She snapped in her mind. He

laughed softly.

"I wouldn't _have _to be near you so much if you would just give up," he retorted. "But, I think we both know that it will take much more time to achieve that."

She grunted, too tired to try and make up a lie that would counter his statements. He then began to trace her spine with

his fingertips, rhythmically stroking up and down. The light touch of his frigid hand caused her skin to sprout goose

bumps. She lifted her hand to flick his hand off of her, but his other hand caught hers just before she was able to.

Confused, she turned her head to the side and looked quizzically back up at him. His eye was glowing orange, and his

hand, that was tracing her back, was creating black markings on her flesh. Although questions began to form on her lips,

she was unable to ask them. She felt him. Inside her. His ultimate presence taking control of her very being. He had her

life in his palm. Her heart was there for the crushing, her organs ready for beating, but he did not divert from his original

intentions. Her stomach was the only thing that interested him, the only thing he was concerned him. She sensed him

searching, wandering in the chaos of her anatomy. Her soul was ripped open and explored, and the disease he carried

with him left corrupted footprints. It was such a distorted experience and she was glad when it was over. She was

released from his existence inside her. She flew back into control of her body and she felt disillusioned and weak. Nausea

came next and she very much wanted to find a bucket, but before she could continue more on the search for such a

place, Slade began howling with laughter. His cackling rung everywhere, all she could hear was his throat's mocking, it

seeped into her flesh. _Stop it! _She yelled in her head. He continued, as expected. Her screams of protest would not deter

his pleasure of the moment. He stopped when tears of crazed joy were running down his face, and his breathing was

short. He wiped the tears off with a flick of his finger and convulsed to regain control of his temper.

"You cannot even begin to imagine how happy I am right now," he said, his voice gruff. "And there are very few

moments when I am this content. Not even with the supposed destruction of your…friends…was I this exhilarated."

Her head was still ringing and she could barely pick up on the noise that oozed from his mouth, but she knew she was to

be frightened. She could barely whisper out the word that was the sole focus of her mind.

"Why?"

His gaze pierced into her back, she could feel his burning eye upon her. He was pausing, contemplating whether to tell her or not.

"It's a boy."

Chapter 2:

She sat up. She looked down at her stomach, and the spawn of evil it was to create. _It can't be._ She thought. _He's lying, like always. _Her head still rung, put she suppressed her physical problems for the psychological ones that began to infiltrate her mind.

"No, I'm not, love."

_Go away._ She thought to him, diving into despair.

"Very well," he chuckled. "But that means I'll have to call in someone _else _to dress you, for obviously you won't be able to do it on your own, little bird."

Raven turned her head, disgusted with his amusement in her torture. His patronizing tones were getting the best of her.

"As I said," she snapped. "Get the fuck out."

A stinging slap spiked on her cheek, and gravity almost caused her to fall out of the bed, but for Slade's iron grasp that wrapped itself around her arm, shooting more pain into her shoulder. He yanked her back onto the bed, and she fell against his chest. His eye lost all compassion and happiness and turned to ice before her, and his light black hair, which was covering his face, seemed to darken. He held her tightly, too tightly. Grabbing her chin with his other hand, he thrusted her face toward his.

"I do believe you have forgotten where you are, my dear," he snarled. "You are mine. You belong to me, and I do not allow my possessions to speak to me in such a matter without punishment."

She glared into his eye and very much wanted to let a spit fly from her mouth, if his hand had not been clasping her jaw

shut, she would have. After an intense stare down, he released her, and he skillfully leapt of the bed. His calm, cold

manner returned afterwards. She still stared at him, wanting to fight him quite badly, to continue to fight him until the

world ended, but she knew she could not win.

"A minion of mine will be here to get you adequately prepared," he said while wrapping himself in a towel, he glanced back at her. "Oh don't pout, pet, it doesn't suit you."

She still glared murderously at him as he shut the door behind him. Immediately, she ran to the door, scrambling over

the bed, she began to open it. _Locked_. She gazed around the room, looking for anything to pick the stubborn bolt with.

However, there was no such luck, so she tried, foolishly again, to try and get the door open by twisting the knob with all

her might. After her hands turned red, and her bruised shoulder began to ache severely, she gave up and sat, defeated,

on the plush bed. As if on cue, the door squeaked open. A figure followed. It was, indeed, one of Slade's minions. A tall,

gangly humanoid made entirely of metal, its eyes glowed a bright yellow, with a steel, skeletal grin always present. The

machine strode forward and beckoned for her to follow.

"Come with me, miss," it said, its voice hallow and dry.

Raven smirked.

"Do you have something for me to wear?" she asked. "I really don't want to go out like this."

Trying to form a puzzled look on its face, meaning its mouth slanted and its incredibly exaggerated eyebrows furrowed, it did not fully understand her question.

"Who is going to see you, miss, besides the master?" it asked politely.

Her face burned red, she supposed she hadn't gotten over the fact that it was just her and him, and there was no one

else to impress or sicken; an oasis from the norms of society. Although it still felt unnatural to go walking without any

clothes, hopefully she could find some morsels of clothing somewhere, eventually. Not willing to admit her idiocy, she

nodded curtly and stood to follow this creature. He immediately walked out the door and down the tunnel in which she

was brought through the night before. However, this time it was coated with doors on both sides, she supposed she had

not noticed this before because of her frenzy to break away. Memories spiked in her mind, never fluid, just pictures and

shots of pain and torment that made her hands and feet curl: A struggling, bound girl being carried by a metal man,

blood pooling on the ground, a bed. Halfway down, the minion turned abruptly and opened a door, and held it open. She

carefully tip-toed in, and found a large bath, a pile of clothes, and towels waiting for her. The minute her feet set in, the

door slammed behind her and locked. The washroom was rather small, and she found it to be the perfect size. A mirror

hung over a sink on the left side of the room, the bath stood in the middle, and there was a small parlor for dressing and

styling. She wandered over to it and found all of her favorite make-ups and perfumes. Even in this quaint setting,

shivers found her spine. _He's been watching me for longer than I thought. _Feeling as though he was with her there she

twisted her head, paranoid of the unseen. Quickly, she turned the knob on the bath and watched as the hot water

sprung from the spout.

Chapter 3:

_How awful,_ she thought to herself. She surveyed her image in the mirror with disgusted curiosity. Yes, he had given her

new clothes, but, unfortunately, they were modeled after him. Or at least, she believed they were. Her top was a corset

weaved by black and copper fabric that stopped right above her hip and left her shoulders, arms, and partially her

stomach bare; her black skirt, which traveled down to her ankles, was made of a wispy fabric that fluttered around even

in a slight breeze, and he had given her mounds of jewelry to wear, at which point she drawed the line. Most of them

were silver bracelets and resembled a snake wrapping itself in a circle, its head attaching to the thinnest part of the tail.

However, there was a necklace which she could not stray her eyes away from. It was a sole feather attached to a string.

The colors of black, purple, and silver gave off shimmering waves of color, the layering constantly changing shape in the

differing light. Entranced by its simple beauty, she decided to wear it. Tugging it over her head, it fell into the perfect

position between too short and long, resting softly on her collarbone, but stretching to where her chest almost began.

Stroking the unusual feather, she found herself deeply attached to this object, for reasons she had not yet come to

understand. Furthering her accessorizing, she had noticed he had not provided shoes. _I suppose I can do without, _she

concluded, gazing at her somewhat torn-up feet, she second guessed that decision. Assuming she was done, she went to

the door and waited for the robot to come back. Uncannily on cue, once again, it swung open and perhaps the same

minion stood patiently in front of her. She gently glided out and felt the fabric of her skirt swing in the breeze she

created. _It feels so weird to wear these things, I don't know how Star does it,_ she thought briefly, but then caught

herself in another tidal wave of homesickness that seemed to never leave her system. The robot marched down the

hallway and, after stifling her emotions, she complied, following it warily. Entering the main room of the cavern, the

machinery greeted her, filling her mouth with the taste of smoke and steam. The cogs churned quietly and seemed to

never stop their work. The minion stayed solid beside her, not allowing her a moment of solitude. It was mere seconds

before footsteps sounded behind her.

"Leave us," Slade instructed.

The machine immediately left, down the tunnel once more, leaving Raven and Slade alone. He stepped around her,

observing her new clothes with interest. With each turn around her, she felt her shoulders sink in insecurely, and she

wanted very much to cover herself from his icicle gaze.

"Lovely," he complimented. "It fits you perfectly. Ah, I suppose _some_ of the treats appealed to you."

He gestured to the necklace, and he quickly closed the distance between them, stepping fully into her vision. He no

longer was in the flesh, but had returned to his metallic guise. He snatched the feather between his fingers, and rubbed

it with his index finger and thumb curiously. After a moment, he released the feather, which fell gracefully back into

position.

"Unfortunately, I cannot give you free will with these trinkets," he continued.

Still staring at the feather, he pulled four bracelets from his belt. They looked identical to the ones she found in the

washroom, except the snakes' eyes were a diseased vermilion. She began to protest, but he had already seized her

hands and forced one bracelet on each wrist, then he kneeled down and lifted each foot up and placed one on each as

well. After the cold silver touched her skin, they shrunk and dug into the flesh, to which she gave a surprised gasp. He

stood up and nodded approvingly.

"Finished," he stated.

She flicked and tempered with the ones on her wrists, trying to twist them in a more comfortable position, but they

appeared to be quite stuck in their current state. Slade watched with amusement at her concentrated scowl.

"What are these things?" she mumbled, still trying to turn them.

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, excitement growing in his eye.

She lifted an eyebrow when he began to back up to the other side of the room.

"Ready?" he asked.

"What do you-" she began to ask, but was not able to for her body surged forward and flew to him. He caught her arms in his hands while she tried to regain her footing. Chuckling at her confused bewilderment, Slade held her wrist up to study the bracelet.

"Perfect, just perfect," he stated. "That will make things so much easier."

"What was that!?" she breathed out loudly.

"Oh just a new invention," he muttered, clearly uninterested in her crazed scoffs. But as she tried to yank her wrist back,

he sighed dramatically. "It works like a magnet, infused with some of my power, of course. And by the looks of it, has

quite good range. But I digress, we have much to do, and playing around with my toys will not achieve the goals of the

day. Come."

He walked away, but she remained, not wanting to go anywhere without a proper explanation. For all she knew he could be performing open heart surgery on her in one of his "goals". He shrugged, not caring whether she came or not. _Is it that easy?_ She pondered. However, nothing with Slade is ever so easy, her body, once again, flew out of its position and ended up in his clutches.

"As I said before, that will make things so much easier," he hooted, dragging her body along with him.

Chapter 4:

_Two Months Later_

"Wake up, dear Raven."

Just like every morning, he awoke her for her training. Even though she was carrying his child, which was beginning to

form a bump, he expected her to be just as strong as him. However, with the blocking of her powers, combat training

was much more difficult and she had to start from scratch in finding new ways to enter an adversary's mind. Each

morning, she would dress into her sparring uniform and he would take her to a massive room containing every possible

machine and tool needed for a training facility: Weights, sparring mat, and advanced obstacle course including blasters

and a wide variety of spike-related instances. At first she resisted and he had to use the bracelets quite often, but after a

couple weeks, she finally enjoyed going. First of all, on some occasions, she was able to deal blows to Slade for her

sparring, which she would have thoroughly enjoyed had it not been for the soul-link, she would have tried to kill him, but

alas she could not and settled for basic combat. Second, she could work out her aggressions and frustrations from being

his prisoner, sometimes, she would lose her form and just start punching everything in her way, and then Slade would

chastise her and correct her positioning and stance. Usually, the two would spend the good majority of the morning and

partially the afternoon fighting. But, that part of the day had to end and he would then take her to the infirmary to check

on the baby. She would lay on a bed while nurse minions would monitor both Raven's vital signs and the growth of the

baby which, to her dismay, was perfectly healthy. Not that she wanted the baby to be malnourished, but she had

partially hoped that a miscarriage would take place, destroying Slade's dream. However, now that she saw the little

thing growing in her, she couldn't help but be excited. Although the circumstances were different, she was continuing

life. Perhaps, he could not follow in his fathers' footsteps, but hers. Hiding this emotion of hope from Slade would be

difficult, but she had learned, usually the hard way, how to stifle her feelings deep inside her and remained callous and

detached. The same could not be said for Slade, he opened his emotions whenever he felt like it, and they were

incredibly strong whenever he looked at her or at her stomach. Their relationship was founded on the destruction of the

world, but that did not matter to him, whatsoever. Yes, he would treat her worse than dirt sometimes, but it could be

seen as plain as day that he had grown attached to her, she always sensed confliction of his emotions when she smiled

or laughed, which were not so rare anymore. She also, hating to admit it however, enjoyed his kisses. There was no

clash of emotion but just one solid, unwavering one while it lasted: Love. She held out against the storm as long as she

could, but slowly he was etching her defenses down. In fact, they were truly meant to be, both had much in common.

Their dark nature, for starters, but also they connected in similar tastes and styles. He was fascinated by her

incantations and demonic blood, she was intrigued by his new power, which was so much more evolved than hers, and

sometimes he would share a spell or a word of power with her, which did show his ultimate trust he had in his soul-link,

but, at first, it never crossed her mind to use it against him. She just wanted to learn more, to study in his shadow.

Furthermore, she was also interested in his background, his seemingly pitch black one. Occasionally, he would let a few

facts from his previous life slip. Usually he mumbled something about his unit that fought with him in the war, or his

black childhood. Never did he divulge the secret of his eye.

"He will be so strong," Slade whispered, gently placing his hand on her stomach, instinctively she placed hers on his, and

squeezed. She sensed him smile deeply under his mask. The two shared a quiet, intimate moment of hand holding, but

then Slade snapped his hand back and his body went rigid. Puzzled, Raven peered up to see him twitching his head

around.

"Slade—?" she started to inquire, but his eye still shifted madly all around the room. Quickly, he pulled her to him, and pulled a rope from his belt, and tied it around her waist and his wrists. A loud crash sounded, coming from the main hall. Slade stood in front of her, a protective arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her eyes widened, and her heart beat loudly in her chest.

"Shh…" he whispered, holding a finger to his mask. "Steady your heart."

She softly took in deep breaths and tried to do what he instructed. She placed her hands on her stomach, her motherly

instinct erupting inside. Footsteps and muffled voices penetrated the thick walls of the infirmary. Slade motioned to the

minions, and whispered something to them. Using his free hand, he pointed to the left wall. Immediately, both robots

strode to it and gently tapped certain places of the stone. Fingers flying, they formed a variety of patterns until the

grinding of rock sounded, which opened an opening in the wall. In the space, a button became present, which they

pressed, then they exited the room and Raven say dozens of robots briefly pass her room before the door closed again.

Alarms echoed and the voices in the other room shouted to one another. Metallic footsteps marched loudly down the

hall, and she understood battle was to take place. Slade narrowed his eye, and his body crouched slowly down, bringing

her down with him. She strained to hear, and noticed that the machines were losing. Metal crashes seemed to resonate

all around her, until it was dead silent. The pattering of unknown feet carried on, and doors were opening, slowly but

surely coming toward their room. Three doors left. Slam. Two doors left. Slam. One door left. Slam. Their door opened,

Slade growled murderously. Raven's eyes blinked and widened. _Robin?_ There he stood, black mask, tangled hair and all.

Her jaw dropped. _How did they find me!? _Robin was soon joined by the others who all glared coldly.

"Ah, the Teen Titans, well at least most of you," Slade chastised. "I'm afraid you'll not be getting this one back."

Rocketing up, he thrusted Raven in front of him, holding her neck in a lock with his arms. She heard his breathing and fast heart beat, and felt hers breathe and stutter in unison.

"Let her go!" Robin snarled.

"But have you asked her if _she _wants to be?" Slade retorted, bringing his old mind games into the equation, which Robin fell easily for. Raven found herself wondering why he would ever fall into such an easy trap, only doubt and mistrust would follow, leaving a perfect entry for attack.

"Raven?" Robin asked, warily, tilting his head to the side.

Her eyes widened, hoping to convey the correct message to the team. Thankfully they understood. Robin snapped back into position and formed an aggressive stance.

"Titans, go!"

Slade deftly threw the rope off his wrist and attached it to the bed, thus grounding Raven, while preparing for Beast

Boy's tiger swipe, which he was unable to defend against, and got hit hard by it; consequently, Raven took most of the

blow and gasped in pain. She saw a slash on her shoulder, and she couldn't stop praying that none of her teammates hit

Slade in the stomach. All of them began beating him, releasing their hatred for him upon her. Bruises, burns, blood

covered her skin, and she could not heal herself. Slade peered back at her, completely unharmed. His eye clouded with

sadness and infinite fury. Slade fought back with his new power. Unleashing his massive, deadly cobra, he split the

team, half fighting him, half fighting his avatar. Unfortunately, for him, the blows to the cobra did nothing to Raven and

from the deadly blows from Robin and Starfire it evaporated, clearly not as powerful without Slade's full attention on it,

for he was fighting Beast Boy and Cyborg while partially worrying about Raven. Then, he faced the full team once again.

Raven could not take more punishment, and her vision clouded.

"Stop it!" she shouted with all her might. "The baby, Slade!"

Immediately, Slade stopped and so did the team. Slade rushed to her side, surveying her wounds. Blood covered the

floor. An especially nasty wound on her collarbone deposited the oozing liquid. Luckily, her belly remained untouched,

most likely to how Slade took the blows, always trying to block with his shoulder or back. Grunting with frustration,

Slade put pressure on the bleeding and tried to chant incantations to heal her, but Robin stepped in and pushed him off

Raven.

"Get away from her!" He shouted, while the rest of the team held Slade down. "Raven…baby?"

Raven shifted to give the others a better look at her bump. They all gasped and then twisted to Slade, Robin began to surge forward and deal a deadly blow.

"No!" Raven screamed.

Halfway through his motion and mere inches from Slade's mask, he looked back at Raven.

"Attacking him won't help," Raven coughed out. "It only damages me, not him."

It was easy to see that Robin desperately wanted to strike Slade over and over again, but he cooled his temper and strode back over to Raven.

"What if we take that_ thing-_? Robin began to inquire.

"Touch my son and I will destroy you and everything you love, Robin," Slade snarled.

The team gazed back at him, surprised he could care so much for an infant, especially an unborn one.

"What are you, pro-life, Slade?" Beast Boy sneered.

"Let me go and I'll educate you on my philosophies, dog," Slade threatened.

"Shut him up!" Robin yelled. "We need to get Raven out of here, and remove…_it_ from her system."

On the verge of a blackout, Raven could barely keep up with the conversation.

"What do we do with Slade?" Cyborg asked, gesturing with his head toward Slade while holding his mask with his metallic arm. "Apparently, we can't kill him."

Robin folded his arms and his brows furrowed.

"Bring him along," Robin decided. "We'll keep him at the tower in the containment facility."

Slade laughed cruelly.

"You really think that will stop me from taking this world over? Pathetic, Robin."

Robin smirked.

"I think it will," he retorted. "Gas masks on."

The team obediently followed, pulling on masks. Robin went over to Raven and gently put one over her face, trying to avoid cuts and bruises. Robin then threw a gas explosive down and Raven watched as the white smoke filled the room, and Slade's body went limp.

"Let's go home," Robin reassured. Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl and picked Cyborg up by his talons, and

Cyborg released a rope from his robotic arm and tied it around Slade's waist and the caravan flew out into the tunnel.

Starfire picked Raven up first and noted that she would be back for Robin. Gliding out the door, Raven felt hope fly

through her, and when she and Star soared out of the giant hole in the rock ceiling and toward the sky, Raven hoped

that this nightmare had ended, that normalcy would follow. Slade was never so easy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey folks! Thanks for reading thus far, the reviews have REALLY been so nice and lovely. Keep reviewing! :D I will try to update as fast as possible, but, you know how life is. Thanks, again! Love you all! 3**

Part 4

Chapter 1:

"Don't move a muscle."

Raven swore. The crutches had been too noisy, apparently. If only she could walk, life would be so much easier, then.

"Get your ass back in bed." Robin instructed.

His hands folded solidly over his chest and raised both of his eyebrows. Staring bleakly at the rough terrain she had just managed to cross without too many slips, she grumbled back at Robin.

"I have to go back? I just got here and everything…"

She was mere inches from the door to the outside world. It seemed to call her, taunting her with its pleasant weather and peaceful setting. Her shoulders slumped and she gave a begging-dog pout in Robin's direction.

"That's an order." He remained stubborn in his decision.

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily but, ultimately, she started to hobble her way back to her room. It had been three weeks. _Three weeks!_ Yet he still wouldn't let her leave the confines of her bedroom. Yes, she was badly hurt when they brought her back home; Yes, she had shattered a bone in her leg, a minor concussion, and only a _couple_ of scratches, well, at least they were now; And yes, she could barely move without some kind of mind crippling pain. However, just because her body was broken, didn't mean that she would let her sanity go along with it.

Although, it would have been easy to slip into the ignorant bliss of madness, and not have to be lucid with all that was

going on. A sharp pain hit her side. She stopped in her tracks and breathed slowly in and out. _Stupid rib._ She had just

made it to the door to the hallway, in less than 5 minutes, quite a feat for her, but before she knew it, Robin rushed to

her side and held her waist softly and began to guide her to the couch, instead. She had asked her friends specifically

not to help her with overcoming these injuries, not wanting to give off any signs of weakness, but, occasionally, she

would have no choice. Robin carefully sat her down, peeled the crutches away from her, and gently pushed her down

onto the pillowed area. She breathed a sigh of pained relief and he rushed to get a blanket and some ice. However, the

pain in her side returned, and she squeaked out a yelp. _Perhaps it isn't the rib._ She peered down at her ever-growing

stomach-bump and narrowed her eyes. _You._ Although she desperately wanted to hate this offspring of Slade's, she

couldn't. The maternal instincts were too strong and her stability was too weak.

"Robin…" she called softly out. "He's kicking."

A crash followed, making her jump.

"Robin? Are you ok?" She asked hesitantly.

She heard a pained growl. Her heart began to race slightly, _Is he ok? Should I go over there? Can I get over there? _

"Robin, if you don't answer me in the next five seconds I'm coming over."

Three seconds later she heard a muffled grumble.

"I'm fine."

He was talking, but that was far from meaning he was in a good state of mind. However, she sensed his anger begin to boil in his blood. He wasn't angry at her, no, but at the person who put her in this situation. Suddenly, he came over and shoved a dripping ice pack in her face. She looked up apologetically, but his face was cast in shadow and he would not even stare her in the eye when he handed it to her.

"For the _thing,"_ He explained.

Although she did not appreciate Robin calling her unborn son a thing, she did take the ice and placed it on her side, noticing some bruising that had sprouted there.

"Robin…" she began to say, forming the words to defend her son. He snapped his eyes into hers and she decided not to

argue with him, the wounds were still too deep, apparently. She did not mind his stubbornness. When it came to Slade,

Robin was crippled. He was always the strong one, always in control, but with Slade he had nothing. No freedom. No joy.

No love. For the weeks and weeks he spent down in the lair with Slade, the only comfort he knew was that pain was

coming soon, pain that enabled him to feel something besides apathy and grief. When he returned to the tower after the

daring rescue, Raven could not keep count of the cuts on his body, the pain in his mind. He almost didn't make it. She

found it remarkable, however, that even though Slade tortured him almost religiously every night, Robin still managed to

fight his team with precision and fury. If she had been in his position…well, she probably would have flung herself off a

cliff rather than having to A) Fight her loved ones and B) Go home to Slade's brutality. However, she pondered _why_

Slade was so harmful to Robin. She assumed because he fought back, too much, and needed to be checked often, but,

to thrash against Slade routinely? She was skeptical. Slade obviously didn't want to maim his new apprentice to the

brink of death. The time Robin spent down in the tunnel was so foggy, and Robin never allowed her to gain access to his

memories. Sighing with relief, she felt the ice massage her bruises and the pain ebb. Robin still stood by her side, not

meeting her gaze.

"Thanks," she said.

He nodded gruffly in her direction.

"Robin."

Slightly moving his tangled bangs out of his face he gave her a quick glance of acknowledgement, silently telling her he was listening. She shook her head.

"I need to see him."

Chapter 2:

"Absolutely not!" Robin yelled, letting his anger flow in tidal waves over her. "There is no way in HELL, that I will let you ever see _him _again! Why do you want to see him anyway? Sick of the team? Sick of saving lives? Do you want the life _he_ is going to provide!? All he'll do Raven is kill you after he gets what he wants. Don't you understand? He doesn't care about you, about the world, or even about the thing that's infesting your womb! All he wants is destruction, that's all he's ever wanted! Another holocaust, another chance to murder innocents and defile lives! Why can't you see that!?"

It was a lot to process. He broke the dam, and held nothing back. She had a mix of emotions, anger, denial, but first and foremost was pity. She pitied Robin and his anger. She pitied Slade and his loneliness. She pitied herself, and her idiotic feelings. However, she would not stray from her decision; it had already grown roots and settled in her brain.

"I need to see him, Robin," she stated calmly. "And neither you nor anyone else can make me change my mind. Do you understand, Robin? Do you understand that, even though my situation is…different, I am having this baby? To you it's an infestation, to me, it's a child who had no idea that his father is like this, how could he? Take your anger out on me, fine, but don't bring my son into your hatred, Robin. Even if Slade is the next coming of the anti-Christ, he _needs_ to see his son. You're wrong, it's _all_ he wants. You don't know…"

Her memories shot back and she was lost in them for a brief moment, not paying attention to Robin's murderously cold glare. He stomped out of the room, yelling back to her:

"If _you_ want to see him, fine!" He shouted. "But don't ask me to help you heave your lifeless corpse to him, Raven!"

The door slammed behind him and she was alone. Her pregnancy hormones got the best of her, and tears welled up in

her eyes. _Fuck these emotions!_ She shouted in her psyche, not willing to admit that her hormones had nothing to do

with the way she felt. Shaking her head, throwing the tears out of her eyes and wiping them away hurriedly, she sat up,

which took almost all her strength, and took several deep breaths, preparing for her journey to the land of the walking.

Hauling herself upward, she managed to hang onto her crutches, which lay against the edge of the couch, and stable

herself without too much pain. Slowly making her way across the room, she managed to get to the door rather quickly.

She waited while it deftly slid open, she then entered and began to hobble down the hall. Her body no longer hurt,

however, she abandoned the crutches and began walking normally. When she was rescued, they had managed to

subdue Slade until they reached the tower, then they imprisoned him in the highest security facility in the base. It was

not extremely difficult to get into, but one had to remember the twists and turns of the halls that led to the DNA

recognizing door. Only Titans could get in or out, and the room itself had indestructible walls that could take anything

from a nuclear bomb to alien powers. Not even her father could enter the room physically. Strolling through the varied

hallways, she had finally reached the massive, metal gate. Turning green and confirming her Titan DNA, she was allowed

access, and the door opened revealing three more equally intimidating gates. Each time, she had to place something

more specific to the scanner. On the second it was a finger, on the third, she plucked a hair, and on the last one she

pricked her palm and wiped it off. At the end of this paranoid routine, she entered the dark room and the doors shut

behind her. Dim monitors lit the east wall and a small hole characterized the west wall, a trash shoot, she concluded. As

her eyes adjusted, she saw him. Chains choked around his wrists, arms, legs, feet, tying neatly over the center of his

back, seeing how much it weighed him down, she assumed he did not walk much. The material of the metal was unique;

it did not glimmer like normal steel or silver but seemed to almost darken instead. She guessed that it was made of the

same material as the doors. His suit was removed and he was given a collage of torn clothing to wear, but his mask

remained, surprisingly. Robin probably did not want to break the secret. A cot sat in the center of the room, and a toilet

marked the corner. _How the mighty have fallen_, she thought. Gazing around the room, he watched her. His eye shifting

up and down, left and right, it seemed almost feral. It was the only speck of light in the room, his eye. It shined and

sparkled, and she had forgotten how deep she could dive into the murky waters of his eye. Staring at one another in

silence, they both shared intimate secrets without whispering and conveyed their deepest emotions without crying.

However, he could not continue the blissful quiet.

"Yes?" he hissed to her, the wavelengths of his voice bounced off the sullen walls.

She slowly slid over to him. He laid flat on his back, but as she approached he tried to sit up. She noted that the chains had dug deeply, revealing the oozing wounds in the skin, and how his legs and arms, once muscular and strong, shriveled down into painful condition. His clothes hung loosely, and his mask was slightly askew. However, seeing him this way greatly disturbed her. _He deserved it, _she thought. But, then again, he didn't. Why did he make her so confused? When he coughed to draw her attention back to him, she shuddered and cleared her throat.

"He… well…you know your so—n…" she stuttered on, when Slade's interest perked, he sat straight up, ignoring the pain in his appendages.

"Is this about _him?_" He inquired. When she nodded, he quickly moved to her, even if it took his lasting bits of strength to do so.

"What's happening?" His eye glittered with worry. "Is he ok?"

She smiled and nodded, placing her hands on her distended stomach.

"He kicked," she said. "Hurt like a bitch, too."

Under his mask, Slade's smile couldn't be wider.

"Hard kick, eh?" He breathed. "He'll be strong."

Slade began laughing, coldly so, but it was the only expression that could suit him well. She no longer minded the chill of

his voice, the way it seeped into her skin and trickled up her spine. She almost welcomed it, now. Reaching forward with

his cut up, swollen hands he, too, rested his hands on her stomach and lowered his head to her belly. A resounding kick

followed, and she squeaked with pleasure and pain. He chuckled more and looked up admiringly at Raven, who smiled

sweetly down. It was one of those few moments where she felt strong feelings for him, the way his eye danced with

hope. She almost sensed a new emotion growing in him as well, which infested his usual feelings of hatred and bitter

cold: Affection. She knew he loved their son, and she knew she loved them both. His eye widened then, at this

confession. He, too noted her feelings and monitored them, and this was a monumental second for the two.

"Raven, did you mean that?" he asked.

Breaking her eyes away from the bump, she peered up at him through the web of her tangled hair, not having to breathe a word.

"Excellent," he said, his eye beginning to glow orange. Her eyes responded with their normal white hue, but the more his

eye shown in the dark, her white coloration demented and twisted into a brilliant vermilion. A wire of black shot from his

eye and injected into her eyes, the soul-link finally revealing itself physically. With a calm, calculated voice Slade

chanted in demonic phrasings, words of gross power. Her flesh stitched and her bones reanimated, power surged

through her, once again. Her avatar raven began to transform, becoming an instrument of him, for him, always. The

snake and the raven, both trinkets of his power linked the two. His eye faded, hers dimmed. Smiling lovingly at him, she

released a soft whisper of power, to which her raven exploded in the room. Laughing sickly, she noticed the discoloration

of copper and orange feathers shimmering in the shadows of the raven and the silver "S" that branded its back. She was

his, now, and that made him impossibly happy.

"Oh, love, it's good you saw things my way," he whispered to her.

Her body was now a shell, and her spirit gazed on, outside of her, crying to be taken back inside. Nodding hollowly, she

created knives of black power and severed his chains off. Seeing them detach slowly from his infected skin, her face

grew with worry. Her fully dilated eyes shifted to the wounds and back at him. He nodded. Smiling, she created a pulsing

white orb and gently placed it in the air, hovering next to her face. Reaching two fingers into the mass of white she

began to pull globs of it and pressing it to Slade's wounds. The wounds mended, immediately responsive to the powerful

healing tool. She used almost the entire orb before his body was whole again. With a snap of her fingers, the white blob

diminished and she shuffled to a box hidden in a corner of the room, pulling the lid open, she pulled out his suit, laying

each piece carefully on the ground next to her. He joined her and began putting them on, until he was fully armed, once

more. She noticed his returned muslcle mass, as well, and smiled stupidly. Leading to the door, she began the process of

opening the gates. When all of them were dealt with and the hallway was lying in front of them, Slade howls of laughter

could not contain themselves and the team responded immediately, charging into the hall, alarms blaring. However,

when they arrived at the scene, they all were shell shocked. Raven stood there, alongside Slade, her vermilion eyes

shining brightly and her new raven perching behind her.

"You see, dear Titans," Slade cooed. "I told you she was mine."

He slung an arm over her, to further prove his point and she responded by kissing his gloved hand. His eye narrowed in satisfaction. Still shocked beyond belief, the team stared on dumbfounded. Robin was the first to speak, his mask crumpled with anguish.

"Kill them both."

"NO!" she screamed. Sweat, shivers, and a clean, white bed greeted her. The blank room was covered in shadows, only strips of light shone randomly on the walls. Breathing a sigh of relief, a smile grew on her lips.

"It was just a dream," she breathed. She was almost giddy from the prevented terror that she dodged. It had all seemed so real. A knock sounded, followed by the clinking of a twisting knob. Robin's head peered around the door, his face anxious and guilty.

"Raven," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" she asked.

"You were lying unconcious in the hallway," he began. She remembered how she left her crutches behind and began walking. That was part of the dream she had wished was true. However, she was confused. _Was Robin guilty that he had left her to walk alone_? Her brows furrowed.

"Is that all? Robin, that wasn't your fault, it was mine. I was the one who wanted to see Slade."

He fidgeted, a rare sight from Robin. She didn't need her magic to know something was horribly wrong.

"Is it the baby? Is it hurt?" Raven asked, terror rising in her voice, she peered under the sheets at her stomach. It all looked normal.

"No, no. It's fine," He reassured.

"What is it, then?" she inquired, truly curious to know what the big deal was.

He sighed, clearly frustrated with himself.

"It's Slade," he started. "He's escaped."


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5:

Chapter 1:

"You can't be serious," she said, a smile creaked open, full of denial. "You're too funny, Robin."

He bowed his head and stared at his feet. His brow furrowed and he clasped his hands behind his back, he was reminiscent of a child who had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. He did not acknowledge her statements of pure disbelief. Her jaw dropped after her waves of denial had abated.

"Oh God…"she choked out, holding her IV-punctured hand to her mouth. "What am I going to do?"

Her lungs were kicking, and hyperventilation was rising his her chest. Her breath was shallow and her air passages could only fill and release through her mouth. Noticing her increasing violent body language, Robin sat by the bed and steadied her hand. Her widened, blood-shot eyes shifted wildly to him.

"Everything's going to be ok," he reassured. "We'll be here the entire time, around the clock security."

Letting out a frustrated growl, she shook her head savagely side to side.

"How will that help?" she snapped. "He can freeze time, or just kill you all with a snap of his fingers. There is no hope for me, anymore."

Robin sighed and chuckled.

"Raven, I think you're forgetting last time we faced him. We kicked his ass, and yours."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the sterile walls.

"Gee, I feel _so_ much better now," she scoffed.

"We'll keep you in the containment facility, and one of us will always be present with you. His time distorting powers shouldn't be able to work there."

"Then how did he get out?" she snarled, taking her frustration out on Robin.

Shame crept into his features and he looked away. Her gaze softened and an apology began to form on her lips, he cut her off.

"I let him out."

Chapter 2:

"Get out, Robin," she stated clearly and emotionlessly.

"Hear me out…" he reasoned.

She had every mind to smash his face in, but, the other Titans would not look so fondly on the idea of a dead Robin, while a pregnant Raven stood triumphantly on top of his corpse. So, she grunted permission for him to tell his story.

"I know it's my fault, but, I don't think you know how much I truly hate Slade," he began and quickly continued before

she could scream her cries of protest, her finger already pointing in the direction of her belly. "When I was his…

apprentice, he taught me all sorts of new tricks and fighting styles. Things that not even Bruce had taught me. Although

he was evil, a psychopath, he was incredibly smart and skilled. When fighting all of you, I noticed how much I improved.

I was scared, I had finally found my dream teacher and he was a maniac bent on the destruction of the world. I revolted,

not willing to admit to the feelings of accomplishment every time I stole for him, or the feelings of power every time I

mauled an innocent bystander. I could never win against him. I tried so hard, but he was too strong, always defeating me

easily any time I threw a surprise punch or a dirty kick. He got a taste for it, then. Robbing wasn't as fun anymore for

him. He wanted me to kill, giving instructions on how to carry out his disgusting plans. I ran from him, refusing to ever

do such a thing, waiting for the day I was rescued, but that day was far away and his taste for death could not be denied.

He beat me profusely, locked me in pitch black rooms where he shoved drugs down my throat, and worst of all, he

flaunted the control to your demise in front of me. I couldn't hold out any longer. I killed for him, while he whispered in

my ear. Finally, the day of reckoning came. You all found me, following the trail of corpses I left behind. I have never

forgotten those days. So, when I left you in the lounge yesterday, I went to see him, rough him up like what he had done

to me. But, like always, he beat me. One swift kick to the head and I was knocked out. I woke up to an empty room, he

didn't leave a trace."

She sat there numbly while listening to the dark tale. When he finished, she continued to stare blankly at her palms. Thoughts no longer strung together to form any kind of coherency. Only dark images filled her head: Slade and Robin, death and destruction, a lifeless body buried in the dirt. She couldn't respond. He left her after it became apparent that she was to sit like this for an unprecedented amount of time. After a solid hour of trying to compose herself, she called out to Robin. He obediently came, yet entered cautiously and stood just inches from the door. She breathed a long sigh, and twitched her face to look at him.

"I'm sorry," she stated. "I know that it was difficult for you to share that with anyone, much less me. It was beyond idiotic to do that. You put us all in danger, he could be lurking in the Tower, building an army, pressing a detonator...but I think you already know that, the point is, I understand, and I probably would have done the same thing. Scratch that, if I actually had the chance to hurt him, I would have tried to throw a few punches in his direction, and it might have ended up much worse. I forgive you, obviously, you're my best friend, but, for right now, before I start a life in the prison, I'd like to go to my room and just meditate."

He nodded sympathetically and relief ebbed away at the stone features of depression chiseled in his face. He shuffled

over and unplugged her from the IV, gathered her crutches and lifted her into them. He wrapped his arms around her

and slowly walked her out of the room and into the hallway. Arriving at her door, he made sure she was able to walk in

before he left her alone. She shuffled into her sanctum and found peace in the quiet walls. Hobbling to her bed, she sat

gingerly on it, and breathed a sigh, content to be left alone. Although she complained about being confined to these

familiar settings for weeks, she had never been so happy to return to it now. Shifting into a semblance of a cross-legged

position, she barely lifted her arms, and sang the incantations. Cyborg had been able to remove the shackles in her skin;

they had been nothing more but copper wiring with powerful spells engrained into them. Thankfully, she had been

sedated for the procedure and woke up to find the scars on her wrists, yet feeling whole once again. Nodding to the

candles encompassing around her room, they all lit and burned the smoky incense, filling her room with the smell of sage

and lavender. After she had sufficient levitation, she felt her power begin to expand and heal her wounds. They were too

severe to be healed in one sitting, and every day she patched them up with her meditations. She expected her bones to

be complete and her bruises to be gone in the next week. Her avatar stretched its wings around her, its shadowy feathers

softly brushing against her injuries. Feeling rejuvenated, she continued her meditating more confidently, just hearing the

sound of her voice and feeling the rise and fall of her chest. A sound creaked in the quiet, coming from her window. Her

eyes snapped open, and she fell softly on the bed, her pain returning to her suddenly. She twisted, as best she could, to

the window. It was open and the black drapes were blowing softly in the breeze. She rolled her eyes. _Perfect._ Struggling

to get up gracefully, she ended up rolling off the side of the bed with a thump. Swearing loudly she managed to push

herself up and hobble to the window to close it. As she put her hand on the glass, a sparkle caught her eye from a corner

of her room. It shone briefly and faded into shadows once more. Absently, she shut the window and cautiously shuffled to

the site of the shine. As she neared where she believed she saw it, it shone again, twinkling in the darkness of her room.

It seemed to be emulating next to the large pile of books that was stacked on the floor there. She slowly squatted down

and reached into the space. Clenching her hands, she picked up the object. A feather, and a brilliant one at that, sat in

her palm. Her memories were triggered, and she remembered the trinket from the cavern. She recalled Slade taking

great interest in it and holding it in between his fingers. She brought her palm to her face. _How could I be so stupid?_ She

rubbed its soft features and came across a sharp bump on the stem of the feather. Flipping it over, she spotted it. _A _

_camera. _It was a miniscule one with a small, blinking light revealing its successful operation. She narrowed her eyes at it.

_He was watching her, this whole time! _Coping with her new sense of paranoia, she looked around the room wildly. She

had more than half a mind to run screaming to the team, begging for them to help her, but, she figured she could at

least defend her pride before Robin chained her down. She lowered her head into the camera and glared.

"I know you're watching me," she hissed. "It ends now."

She tore the small contraption out, and crushed it between her fingers. The screen in front of Slade went black, and he

laughed absently to himself while sitting back into his stone throne. He was not prepared, not yet. The Teen Titans had

set his plans back, but once his skin healed and his powers were at full strength, it was only a matter of time. Still, he

couldn't help but feel an ounce of compassion for the girl. They shared a strong bond, one he wanted to capitalize on, but

one he also cherished nonetheless. She didn't act like the others, they had given up on him long ago. He was having

some second thoughts. _Should I do this?_ He wondered. For the first time in his years, he was having doubts about the

future, and it was all because of _her._ Striding off of his throne and toward the screens, he quickly typed out functions on

the many keyboards, bringing up more pictures, which were all concerned with Raven. Countless angles all around her

room, something he set up on his way out. Gazing closely, he studied her. She was sitting on her bed, reading a black,

leather bound book. She looked almost together and calm from his point of view, but her occasional wincing when a

stubborn injury gave her trouble, gave him worry, especially when she clutched her stomach. He turned his head in

disgust with himself. _When did I become so weak?_ Flipping a switch, he turned the screens off, and walked away quickly

in the gathering dark.

Chapter 3:

The Titans Tower, which sat on a remote island about three miles off the nearest Gotham shore, was full of energy that

day. Excited to have Raven back and partially healthy, the team were bounding all around for the last several months,

not giving her a moment of peace. Starfire wanted to talk about her experiences and form therapy sessions, something

she had formed a great interest in after watching what she called, "the rehabilitation holograms in which the truly

fascinating people all sit around and talk to each other about struggles with strange substances". Cyborg and Beast Boy,

always the pair, wanted her to referee constantly for Stink Ball, a game consisting of a ball created from dirty socks

donated usually by Beast Boy. However Robin was not so excited to have her back. The others had tried not to pay

attention or give any real thought toward the pregnancy issue, but Robin could not get over it. He only really talked to

Raven when he escorted her to the facility every night. But he kept the conversation mundane and avoided any "touchy"

subjects. He and Raven had such a great connection, ever since she entered his mind. Only she had witnessed his past

life, seeing the memories of his parents' death, a cave hidden under a mysterious mansion. She was sworn to secrecy,

and she had no desire to betray Robin, but lately he had been making it difficult. He no longer treated her like he had

before, and it was getting on her last nerves. One night, while they were walking to the containment facility where Slade

was once held, Raven almost snapped. That day, the others hadn't left her alone at all, and she was irritated. To make

matters worse, Beast Boy, in trying to recover the stink ball, ran full force into her as a bull. Luckily, she had sensed him

quickly enough to dodge him. Partially. He clipped her leg, and it was of course her broken one. Thus, she had not been

very peachy today, not that she was ever in a superb mood. Robin was going on about the nice weather they had been

sharing lately and she had accidently tested his relatively good humor.

"Hope the baby's born when it's raining," she murmured.

He stopped cold in his tracks and peered at her stomach. It had almost been seven and a half months. The birth could be

any day now. He continued walking and didn't say a word, and strangely, he also kept his emotions sealed away from

her. She lifted a violet eyebrow and was about to apologize, but they had already arrived at the door. He gave her a

quick nod and stalked off, while she looked sadly after. She went through the normal routine and entered the dark room.

When Slade had occupied it, it had a prison feel to it, but she revamped it. She had moved her bed in and painted the

walls a dark blue, all of her favorite books were stored in the shelves that she had also brought in, and drawings were

scattered across the ceiling and walls. Unknown to Robin, she sometimes drew Slade. Of course she was not so stupid as

to pin them up, but she had a sketching book that held her guilty secret. She drew him without his mask, and with it.

However, what inspired her the most was his eye. She remembered how, like the feather, it twisted and shimmered with

his different attitudes. She always remembered the dream, the frightening premonition if she was ever to trust him, but

she couldn't hide her feelings forever. Robin had told her when she asked him, foolishly, about the problem she was

having with Slade that it was common for people in her condition to have delusions such as hers. Yet, she was not

convinced. His voice kept ringing in her head, and although he had not spoken to her directly for quite a long time now,

she couldn't deny his allegations of the trust they shared. He was just as much of a lost soul as she was. She believed

she could somehow save him, although, he may just be fooling her again. Every day she was conflicted with this

confusion of feelings. She curled up in her bed and placed a soothing, power-infused hand on her stomach, trying to calm

her and the baby's nerves. She gazed around the room, and saw moonlight. She at last convinced Robin to put in a

window when the first couple of nights she stayed in, she had stubbed numerous toes trying to get around, and Cyborg

would never allow a simple lamp to be her guide, he would have to install his brightest bulbs everywhere, which would

blind her, thus defeating their purpose. He finally agreed to the window, after her constant badgering, and she was

grateful. The strip of dark, shimmering light that always greeted her in the evening was an ease to her pain, and made

her feel more at home. Her eyes fluttered closed as she lay there staring at the sky.

A quiet creak. Her eyes flew open. She was curled in the comfortable folds of the plush bed. Her glazed vision searched around for the cause of the noise. She spotted it. He spotted her.

"Hello, love."


	6. Chapter 6

Her jaw hit the floor and scrambled underneath her bed. Of course it really wasn't a surprise that he came back for her, what with his insane campaign to win her soul, like the devil on her shoulder. Yet, he always had a way of startling her; he was a show man at least.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked condescendingly, shifting his weight to maintain balance in the window sill.

"How the fuck did you get in here?!" she hissed, looking around as if Robin would be in any minute, ready to lop Slade's head off. Smiling pleasantly at her crazed expression, he shook his head side to side, unimpressed but very amused.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked sarcastically. "I climbed."

Sighing with frustration, she narrowed her eyes at him. _He's a ghost, always haunting me._ Reading her mind easily, he jumped in and swayed side to side, impatient for the barrage of complaints coming his way. Seeing her so upset always put a smile on his face. Instead, she laid down, too tired to care about the trivial matters of how he got in or what he was doing now. His shoulders slumped in disappointment that she didn't protest more. She brought her hand to her forehead, fingering the strands of hair and streaks of sweat. The baby had been restless in his abuse of her womb, never letting her heartbeat get too out of line, or else it was met with routine beatings. Bruises had actually started to form across her waist, adding on to the list of injuries. Showing an inkling of worry, Slade slid over to her and sat gently on her bed, placing his hand on her stomach. Instantly, the boy kicked.

"Amazing," he muttered.

"For you, maybe," she snorted.

The two sat quietly, trying to find a balance to their relationship. Obviously they had feelings for one another, how could they not? She still partially despised him, for ruining her innocence, not that she had much of it to begin with, however. Yet, she also found solace in his lonesome state. Both shared many qualities, but did not see eye to eye on many issues as well, particularly Slade wanting to destroy the world through Raven's belly. _Maybe I could reach him, turn him somehow._ She had become soft, weak, not being around him for the last month, forgot that he could read her mind as easily as a novel.

"No, it is too late for me," he answered in response to her thoughts.

This statement shocked her, he rarely portrayed any weakness, any regret. She sighed, letting the open window breeze cool her emotions. The real reason he had come that night had yet to be discerned, but she also wanted to delay its inevitability. All she was concerned with was letting the moon and the night air envelope the room and let gravity defy in the starry sky. Yet, moments like these never last, and Slade shifted away from her half asleep form, placing a hand on her knee to shake her awake, even if it was just for a moment.

"We must go, Raven."

Groaning lazily, she pretended to ignore him. This foolish acting would not deter him and he crossed his arms expectantly. Like freezing water, she immediately woke up and responded to Slade's glowing eyes that lured her away from her dream world.

"Not yet. Not yet." She begged, grappling onto any nerve ending that would allow her brain possession of her body.

"Time to go," he cooed, his voice, body, and presence becoming more and more alluring as his eyes shined brighter. He did not even wait for her to collapse in his embrace, he reached out and snatched her hand, dragging her to the window sill.

"Summon your raven," he instructed, preparing to fly away with his prize into the night.

Almost instinctively, she began to chant the words listlessly, until a pain shot into her side, breaking the spell. Flood. Water. Floor.

"I think my water just broke."

Chapter 2:

Her legs buckled and she collapsed awkwardly onto the floor, holding her exploding stomach.

"Slade," she called.

His emotions were between murderously angry and resolute defeat. There was no time to get her to his cavern, and performing any kind of child rearing in the room would almost certainly end up in the death of the child, or Raven, and her painful screams would most certainly alert the Titans. He was between a rock and a hard place, but ultimately went with the plan that had the best ending. The gates to the facility buckled in to his power, creating an enormous crash, a noise that the team had to have heard. Scooping the leaking girl off the floor, he strode out the hole in the wall, making sure to dodge the loose wirings that still buzzed with electricity, and continued down the hall. As expected, the team, led by Robin, intercepted Slade.

"What have you done-!?" Robin began to yell, his face swelling with anger.

"Please, Robin, we do not have time for this quarrel," Slade interrupted, flicking his anger away coolly. "She is giving birth."

The team's eyes shifted to the profusely sweating Raven and the obvious wet spots that covered her clothes. Cyborg took charge.

"We need to get her to the infirmary," he advised.

Robin nodded curtly, snapping his eyes back to Slade.

"What about him?" Beast Boy asked quietly.

Robin eyes furrowed immensely, revealing, for once in his life, indecision.

"Bring him along, but lock him up. I don't want him escaping after this."

The others gathered around Slade, placing their hands around him, Cyborg was trying to detach Raven from his grip, but could not.

"She stays with me," Slade explained shortly, and started walking.

It was an awkward caravan; Slade was surrounded by Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, but loosely so as not to disturb Raven too much. Robin led the way, his head constantly shifting from Slade to the course toward the destination. It was quiet, but altogether chaotic, as friend and foe walked peacefully along. Raven sucked in her breath when the waves of contractions hit, so as not to disturb the calm state of things. It seemed like they were crossing the Sahara, the endless journey continued for minutes that seemed like hours. Finally, she could hold it in no longer and let out a pained groan. Snapping his head down, Slade was becoming more and more irritated by the slow progress of the group.

"I understand why this town is so crime ridden now," Slade observed. "They know that it will take the Teen Titans days to respond. How can Gotham expect you to save them? I really want to know."

Snarls and growls began to erupt in reaction to this statement, but a look from Raven, silenced the group.

"Here," Robin announced.

Slade shook off his human restraints and sauntered into the large, white room. The group was prepared for the day of reckoning, and had set up a room months in advance. Robot nurses swirled around the room, ensuring a perfect birth, candles were lit to soothe Raven and make her feel at home for the long hours ahead. However, now that Slade was among them, they were at a loss for where he should stay. Certainly Robin would never allow him to be within a hundred miles of him by choice.

"Once again, noble Titans," Slade said sarcastically. "I stay with her. Leave us."

Slade placed Raven softly on the thin, cushy bed, where the nurses swarmed her. IVs were strapped into her hand, and monitors began to beat loudly in the room. The team stayed where they were, too proud to follow any orders from Slade. Everyone looked to Raven for guidance.

"I don't care if all of you stay or go, but just make up your minds already, I'm having a baby I don't need to be taking care of toddlers, too," she spat.

Nodding seriously, the team left the room, while Slade remained, looking coldly after them, his hands clasped behind his back. Raven reached a hand out to him.

"Relax," she soothed.

Her tenderness surprised her, maybe she was just overly maternal and felt the need to comfort all of those around her, she lowered her hand gingerly. Always noticing her true feelings, Slade whirled back to her, almost as surprised as she was.

"I suppose I've been more of an influence on you than I thought, Raven," Slade jeered, a wicked smile growing under his mask, one that she could easily tell was there.

She snorted nonchalantly and gave a quick smirk in response. It was no doubt that the two had grown closer, obviously that will happen when you've been trapped in a cavern and having a child together, but she had sensed a shift in Slade. His emotions had become gentler, and his hatred for the world eased ever so slightly, she began to really believe he could be turned, even if he didn't believe so. However, she would bury these hopeful emotions until he was ready to hear them out. Readjusting her positioning, she gazed back down at the white sheets that she knew were to become bloody in just a few hours. The realization of what was coming hit her suddenly, and she felt most unprepared and desperately alone. Immediately picking up on her emotions, as usual, Slade casually sat beside her, awaiting her breaking point. She could not have been more grateful at that moment to have him there, because, in a sick way, he understood her better than anyone ever did or cared to. He saw her flaws and, eventually, accepted them, even if he thought she should be as emotionless as him. Mustering up an ounce of sympathy, Slade sighed.

"Are you adequately…prepared?" he regretted his decision to show the girl compassion, knowing the dam was already beginning to leak.

Bringing the back of her IV-laced hand up to her face in an attempt to disguise a chuckle as a cough, she looked mischievously back at him.

"Yes, quite," she responded, feigning a dreadful English accent and sitting up in an exaggerated stiff manner.

Although his lips pursed in a disapproving fashion, he couldn't deny the rising vibrations of laughter coming from his chest. She giggled, and slumped back down onto the pillow, letting some of her stress go. A calming sense of relief filled the air, allowing the two a hiatus in this turbulent time. A nagging question still stuck to Raven in the back of her mind, and it was now or never to ask it.

"Why did you hurt Robin so much?" she asked quietly, putting on the best innocent look she could muster.

This caught Slade off-guard and he had no good answer to give her. He leaned forward, deep in thought, trying to decide how to answer such a question, when the door opened. A robot nurse glided in and checked her heart rate, adjusted her IV, and asked Slade in the most hollow voice to "Please leave" because it had to examine how dilated she was. Grudgingly, he left, but not before he gave her one last look of "We'll talk later". Shutting the door behind him, he leaned up against it and breathed a sigh. A new feeling of lightness had replaced his constant anger, and he doubted his plan. _How could he carry on with it now?_ He wanted to pretend he was still the same sadist that he was, but she had changed him, and he was kicking himself for not seeing her clearly the first time they met. His confliction was interrupted by the presence of _him_.

"You were never very good at stealth, Robin," Slade said, sighing and motioning his head to the dark shadow of the spiky-haired boy. "I could hear you coming a mile away."

This insult to Robin's ego was met with him pushing Slade up against the door.

"I'm not afraid of you," Robin snarled back.

"Obviously not anymore, but, there was a time where you did admire me, Robin. Even if you believe it was just fear guiding your actions."

Roaring, Robin threw Slade away from him, and faced off, readily waiting for a fight. Slade scoffed and dusted himself off.

"Hide it all you want, but you enjoyed working for me," Slade hissed. "I seem to recall you actually offering to murder someone for me. Who was it again, Robin?"

Robin surged forward haphazardly, which Slade easily dodged, allowing Robin to trip and fall onto the tile floor.

"Ah yes, I remember now," Slade continued.

Again, Robin persisted in trying to fight Slade, who showed no interest in it whatsoever, by taking out his metal rod and swinging. Slade held up his hand, and caught the rod, just inches from his face, and glared.

"That woman. The one in the alley. The one that you thought looked a little too nice to pass up on," Slade whispered into a struggling Robin's ear. "You were reckless that night, using your superior strength to trap her in the dark. Oh, sure, you told your friends that I was threatening them to make you my apprentice, but we both know the truth. No witnesses that night, at least so you thought. You pretend that you're the hero, the savior of this wretched place, but you're just as bad as anyone of the "psychos" that you've put away. Knowing you could pin it on me if you did manage to kill her, the woman that could have easily tarnished your sparkling record, it would have been a breeze letting me take the fall. You didn't expect your friends to save you so quickly. Pathetic, Robin."

Slade let go, and Robin shuffled back, the pain of lost years returning to his features. They glared at one another for some time until the nurse gracefully strode out the door and walked passed them emotionlessly, blissfully unaware of human emotions or struggles.

"Now if you'll excuse me, Robin," Slade said, as he bowed sarcastically to Robin. "I have another Titan that needs my attention."

Slade returned to the room, his emotions from the uneasy encounter with Robin wiped away easily when he saw her lying there. The door shut. Robin was left in the gathering dark, too guilty to move out of his fragile pose.

Chapter 2:

The hours were flying by, and Raven was almost ready. The contractions were becoming more frequent and twice as painful. Robot nurses were coming in and out at will, preparing for the witching hour, which they expected to be at 6 am. The Teen Titans had been the only ones that had not seen her since the escapade with Slade, and she was saddened that they never came in once to wish her luck. He had always been there, though. It was true, Slade never left her side, maybe it was the fact that all his plans were hinging on this child, but she liked to believe he partially enjoyed being around her. He used his powers to calm her mind and heal some of the wounds that were being nuisances to her. Always acting ungrateful to his attention she tried remaining distant from the Titans' most hated enemy, but found it was nearly impossible. Although Slade was called many terrible things, psychopath, terrorist, totalitarian, one that couldn't be added to that list was socially awkward. His charming side was in full throttle and, as expected of anyone with half a heart, she fell right for them every time. She even forgot to bug him about his answer to her previous question. Perhaps they were connect-? "Raven, I hope they baby will be as beautiful as you"… and forgotten. She never thought her esteem was ever going to be this high again; it was hard to be self-loathing when every three seconds a man was fawning over you. After one such compliment, something to do with her hair, the baby wiggled rather painfully and her breath was taken away for a moment. However, this kick did not stop, it only intensified. As if on cue, an army of nurses swooped in and jabbed her in the spine with a pain killer.

"Do you wish to stay, sir, or leave?" a robot nurse asked Slade who responded by standing still and calmly looking back at the nurse. "Very well."

Chapter 3:

The labor was over; the child was born a healthy baby boy. Raven lay asleep in her now clean sheets, while the nurses had taken the boy to check his vital signs and other procedures. The nurses had not offered Slade to hold his child, but on a drugged Raven's insistence, Slade was able to hold his own child. It was a distorted feeling. The sole purpose for rearing this child was for the purposes of world destruction, the annihilation of innocent people, and the total dominance of Slade's dynasty over the Earth. Yet, as he peered into the child's icy, blue eyes, he had momentarily forgotten his plans, his emotions, himself and was caught up in the moment that all men should experience: becoming a father. Not wanting to let go, but unfortunately having to, to ensure the child's good health he gently gave it back to the cold, metal arms of the nurse. However, he followed the machine to the nursery, where his child was to remain for a couple hours, before he and Raven could go home, or as he believed they would be. So exhilarated by his new emotions, he did not hear Robin coming up the hallway behind him. The knife pierced his back, and Slade fell. In Robin's murderous rampage, he had forgotten the soul-link. The knife barely harmed Slade, in fact, it didn't even tear his clothing. A scream echoed in the hallways. Slade sprinted down the hallways while Robin sunk to his knees, but not before he glanced at the baby the nurse was carrying. Pushing past the startled Titans in the doorway, Slade entered the gruesome scene. The once white sheets were stained once again with blood, Robin's precision proved flawless. A gaping hole in the middle of Raven's chest was spewing out blood, and her time was running out, even Slade's magic could not undo the wound. Roaring with frustration he kneeled before Raven, putting his head down on the bed. Everything had been perfect, his illusions for the future had looked better and better as he and Raven grew closer, the boy had sealed their fate, or so he thought. Her breath was shallow, and she whimpered to him for help, and even with all his strength and new found powers he could not aid her enough. His healing had only stalled her fate. There was only one thing he could really do, yet, to do so would be relinquishing his dream, something that he was finding impossible to let go of: To end the soul-link. He knew how to do it, the chants buzzed in his head, yet he couldn't find the will to do it. All his life, it had been about him, his plans and his actions, yet to save someone else, a selfless act after all the terrible things he had done. How could he? Her gurgling and ever-glazing eyes had made the decision for him. He chanted the words, his eyes glowed orange and he put his hands above the wound. The swirling black chain shot from their eyes and connected. His incantations grew louder and louder, and the shadowy rope snapped. Her wound stitched back to reveal perfect skin. The nightmare was over, and Raven hated her new found freedom. Slade fell to the floor, exhausted from the ordeal, yet relieved to see her alive and well.

"Slade, what did you-?" Raven began to ask, but was silenced by a child's cry.

She looked to Slade, who returned her worried gaze with a furious one. Forgetting her weakened condition she ran out of the room, dodging the outstretched arms of her former friends. Her bare feet carried as fast as she could go down the dark hallway. Almost there. Almost there. A green cheetah came up behind her and nipped at her heels. Without even thinking, she shot a black stream at him, which tied his paws together and rendered him helpless as he morphed from animal to animal. Starfire was next, flying past Raven and also firing her green missiles at her bare feet. Obviously, the team did not wish to seriously hurt Raven, but just deter her long enough. Glaring at Starfire's green-lit face, her avatar flew out and carried Raven on its back, increasing her speed. Starfire was left in the dust, while Cyborg tried hopelessly to knock her off with one of his sonic blasts. However, to no avail, nothing can stop a worried mother. She landed into the nursery deftly, ignoring the pain radiating in her body. If only she could have ignored the pain in her heart. Robin, her dearest friend, the one she felt understood her most, was holding the whimpering child in his arms, a knife resting against her son's throat. His face was unrecognizable, one of murderous despair and guilt.

"Don't come any closer," he warned, his voice low and threatening.

"You don't have to do this," Raven pleaded, glancing nervously at the increasing pressure of the blade.

"It's for your own good!" Robin snapped. "He's tricked you! Just like he has me. Destroying this thing will benefit all of our lives."

"You're wrong," Raven shouted. "He hasn't tricked me at all, Robin. If anyone should be accused of that, it's you. What's gotten into you?! I thought you'd be the one to understand, but all you've done since I got back was hate me and my son. You're no different."

"You don't know, you don't understand…" Robin groaned. "You don't know what he's capable of! He'll manipulate you against us and kill you in your sleep! And you think that this creature will save you and him. But it won't. Slade will never change. Yes, I know all about it. The way you look at him, how you brighten up when he comes in the room. You betrayed us! But it will all go back to normal once he's out of the way."

Robin began to slide the knife and apply more pressure, causing the baby to scream in pain. In an instant, Raven shot Robin with her avatar which squealed as it enveloped Robin in its' iron wings. The knife flew out of his hands and landed on the floor, while the child dropped like a rock to the ground, but not before Raven could catch it in an extended magical black hand. The child giggled and was instantly relieved by the presence of his mother. A very minor cut was all the damage Raven could detect on her son. Sighing with relief, she glanced back up and a writhing Robin.

"Traitor!" He yelled, his eyes burning with the hate he had kept locked up for so long.

"Call me what you will," Raven growled. "But take this as my resignation. If we are to be enemies because of your hate, then so be it."

She stalked out of the room and down the hallway where a determined Starfire, ready Cyborg, and freed Beast Boy awaited her. Smirking, she flicked her wrists and they were all thrown aside and rendered unconscious, her new free power surged within her and she let it all go on them. She had no time for child's play. She came to the room where Slade was laying, and carried him along with her child in the black masses that cradled the two. She had never felt so determined and powerful, so ready to take on the world, side by side with Slade. The corrupter, the abuser, the liberator. Her old life was nothing to her now.

"Raven…" Slade whispered to her.

She shook her head and smiled lovingly down at him and her child. Slade nodded gravely and understood. Perhaps his future plans were not destroyed after all. He began to sit up in the shadow of the black magic, but Raven pushed him back down.

"Rest, you've done enough," she reassured.

Chuckling softly, he nodded, allowing her to guide him. He peered at his son, who lay sleeping next to him.

"What are we going to name him?"

Raven's perfect brows furrowed for a second, but then relaxed as she made her decision.

"Crow."

**A/N: Check out the re-visited version of this story: **_**Malfeasance**_


	7. Author's Note

**Hello all! I am re-writing this story. I love the plot and I think I ended it too rashly. I'll definitely keep this version up for all who loved it, or simply want to read it. It is a great reminder of where my writing used to be and where it is now, and it is certainly a great motivation. Speaking of which, thanks for the reviews! They meant a TON to me, and I hope you will love the second version just as much! **

**If you have any ideas, questions, thoughts, epiphanies, opinions, or anything to speak of, send me a PM or just review on this story, OR send me a letter via horseback, that's always an option. **

**Anyhoo, the revisited version is up and running, give it a read and enjoy!**


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